Fosters Sickfic Series
by wallscollide
Summary: An ongoing collection of sickfic one-shots and ficlets (three chapters or less) involving all characters. Requests/ideas welcome. Rated T, just in case.
1. Callie - H1N1 - Ch 1

**A/N:** I've been working on this project for awhile. Sometimes, I have sickfic ideas, but don't want to turn them into full-length stories. This space will allow me to write them and post them and not have to come up with complicated plots and drama.

I may also include "extra" scenes from my other stories, which will be noted.

I'm posting this today since this first ficlet is set during Thanksgiving. I hope it's a great one for all of my American readers who celebrate. :) I am thankful for all of my readers today and every day. Enjoy.

I do not own _The Fosters_.

* * *

 **Callie - H1N1**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Thursday - 2:11 PM**

"Everything smells delicious," Dana remarked as Lena opened the oven to check on the turkey.

"I hope it all tastes good, too. I just wish Callie could join us."

"How is she?" Sharon wondered.

Stef sighed. "She's feeling pretty bad. Severe fatigue, aches, chills. Her headache's less menacing."

"What did the doctor say?" Dana asked this time.

"Callie tested positive for flu and based on how quickly she got sick, it's more than likely H1N1. Lena and I are on preventative antiviral drugs and the kids are not allowed contact with her. She's hopefully asleep; NyQuil's barely helping. I'm gonna go check on her."

"I'll come with you."

Dana followed Stef upstairs, who quietly opened Callie's and Mariana's bedroom door. "Callie? You awake?"

"Mhm." She was rolled over facing them, bunched up under blankets, eyes closed. Her skin was completely void of color.

"You've got a visitor."

Stef and Dana walked closer as Callie opened her eyes. "Hey, Gram. Happy Thanksgiving," she wished her wryly with a weak chuckle.

"Hey, baby. So sorry you're sick. On a holiday break, no less." She felt Callie's forehead. "Stef, this child is burning up."

The blonde nodded. "103."

"Poor thing."

Callie coughed, managing to pull the blankets up to cover them. They were deep and painful. She moaned a little.

"You okay, Cal?"

"Yeah," she rasped. "I'm okay."

Stef brought a glass and straw to her daughter's lips. "Drink all of this."

Callie begrudgingly moved to do so, finishing all of the water and letting her head rest heavily on her pillows.

"Good girl. Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Okay. Just rest."

Dana kissed Callie's hair and they left her alone.

Later, everyone was eating dinner together at the dining room table, feasting upon turkey and all the trimmings.

Callie had managed to get a bit of sleep in between waves of chills and fever. However, she had a more pressing matter at that moment: she needed to use the bathroom. She did not have the strength to yell, so she blindly reached for her phone and called Stef.

"What do you need, Cal?"

"Bathroom."

"Okay, I'll be right up."

Callie hung up and waited for her mom to come in. Doing this was a process. Callie was extremely weak; moving to sit on the edge of her bed left her lightheaded.

Stef helped her stand; she took her time but still saw spots as she rose to her feet.

At that, Callie exhaled, closing her eyes. She swayed slightly, but Stef kept a firm hold on her.

"You okay, babe?"

"I think I should stay in bed. This is too much."

"I've got you. We'll go at your pace. No rush."

The two of them shuffled slowly to the bathroom. Callie finished and leaned heavily on the sink to pull herself up. "Mom...I'm done," she called out, breathing hard at having to keep herself upright on her own.

Stef entered and it hurt her heart to see her daughter so weak and sick; she was a shell of herself. "Give me one second, Cal."

Stef left to pull back the covers on Callie's bed and returned to the girl. "Callie, I'm gonna pick you up and carry you to bed."

"No, Mom. I can make it," she tried to protest, failing miserably, knowing how tired she sounded.

"I know, but you're clearly drained. You need to save your strength, love, so you can get better. Let me do this?"

"Fine," Callie sighed.

Stef stepped up behind her. "Ready?" She wrapped an arm around her back and the other under her knees. Callie let her head fall against her mom's shoulder as they went back to the bedroom. Stef lay Callie down and covered her up.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Thanks," Callie breathed as a hard shiver rippled through her body.

"Oh, baby," Stef murmured sympathetically, smoothing Callie's hair and adjusting her blankets.

"Go eat. I'm okay, Mom. Gonna sleep..."

"Alright. I'll be downstairs."

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Friday - 3:42 AM**

Callie woke up with a start. She moaned in pain; her aches were out in full force. No amount of layers could stave off the chills that shook her to her core.

Her moans were enough to wake Stef up as well. She'd set up camp next to Callie's bed, just as she had the previous night. "Callie?" she mumbled, sitting up. "What is it?"

A pair of glassy, brown eyes stared back. "My bones...are on fire...hurts." She sounded near tears.

"Okay. I'm right here." She brushed hair out of Callie's face and put her hand to clammy, fevered skin, finding it to be worse than earlier. They had been warned of this possibility. "My love, you are hot."

"I don't _feel_ hot," Callie chattered, shaking, as if she needed to further prove it.

"I'm gonna turn the lamp on." Stef did and grabbed the thermometer, placing the tip in Callie's ear. "Oh, boy. 104.2. I'll be right back."

Stef returned with water and washcloths, deciding that ice packs or a tepid bath would be too big of a shock to her system. Despite the high temperature, she wasn't too alarmed as Callie wasn't acting strange or out of character. "I'm gonna wipe you down, okay? You'll feel better, I promise." She had Callie swallow some Tylenol first.

Stef started with Callie's face, then moving to her chest, armpits, and groin. The girl shivered, but she didn't put up any fight.

Eventually, Callie's body adjusted to the change in temperature. After a half-hour, her fever was 103.7.

"Does that feel better?"

"A little."

"Good."

Callie coughed, the strong spasms erupting from such a weak body. When the extended fit ended, Stef picked up an object from the bedside table.

She could hear Callie wheezing as the girl tried to regulate her breathing. The virus had invoked an inflammatory response in her lungs, which Dr. Inez assured them wasn't uncommon with this particular strain of flu. "You need to use your inhaler, baby."

"Don't wanna." She thought the albuterol tasted awful.

"I know, but it'll help and I do not like the sound of that, young lady." Stef shook it. "C'mon. Sit up just a bit."

Callie did so and wrapped her lips around the mouthpiece.

"Ready?"

Callie nodded and Stef pressed down on the canister, which released the medicine. Callie breathed it in and readied herself for the second spray, taking another deep breath and having some water.

"Better?"

Callie nodded, her eyes closed.

"Try to sleep. Love you."

Stef watched her daughter's breaths even out until she was sure the girl would stay asleep. Then, she lay back down to get some rest of her own.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was originally a one-shot, but my muse decided I wasn't done yet. Chapter 2 will be up soon. :) Let me know what you think.

I am currently planning three different full-length stories and these will be posted to hopefully hold you guys over until they are written.


	2. Callie - H1N1 - Ch 2

**A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed/followed/favorited/read. Here's more.

* * *

 **Callie - H1N1**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Saturday - 2:51 PM**

"Hey. So, what's the verdict?" Stef asked from the living room as Lena and Callie walked in the front door, home from a visit to Dr. Inez' office.

"Secondary lung infection. Seven-day course of antibiotics," Lena replied as she hung up her jacket.

"Because of the flu?" Stef guessed.

Her wife nodded. "Celia said it most likely hitched on for a ride while she was still bouncing back from the H1N1."

While Callie's cough had lingered as she recovered (as they were told it would), it grew progressively worse over the course of a couple of weeks. After a fever reemerged, she was back to square one with more sickness and ordered bed rest, which meant another weekend of no socializing and possibly even more missed school; that was stressing her out. She was just starting to feel like she was catching up on everything. "Lucky me," she grumbled.

"Sorry, love. You'll be better soon."

"I thought I _would be_ by now," she replied to Stef. "I'm going to bed."

"We'll wake you up for dinner," Lena told her.

"Don't bother. Not hungry."

Lena sighed as she watched Callie go upstairs, her coughs echoing in the hall before she heard the girl's bedroom door shut. "I hate it when they're sick."

"I know I'd be grouchy if I were her. She hasn't felt well for the better part of a month. I just hope this is the last of it."

"Me, too."

Later, dinner was almost ready and Stef went to wake up Callie. She knocked and entered the room. "Callie, are you awake?"

"I said I wasn't hungry," the girl replied, her voice hoarse from coughing. She was rolled over, facing the wall.

Stef walked up to the bed. "C'mon, it's time to eat."

"Please, Mom. I'm _really_ not hungry."

"You need to eat, Cal."

"I just wanna stay here."

Stef felt Callie's forehead. It was still a touch warm and had been so for the past couple of days, which is what prompted her latest doctor's visit. "Do you feel worse?"

"No. I can't sleep. I've been trying this whole time. This damn cough—" She curled into herself as she let the deep, rattling spasms take over.

Her daughter had been powerless against it for weeks. "I know," Stef sighed, running a hand along Callie's side, attempting to comfort her.

Callie eventually settled. "I am _so_ over this."

Stef went to her bathroom and brought a bottle of Robitussin. Callie wasn't supposed to be masking her cough in order to expel the mucus in her lungs, but sometimes, Dr. Mom knew best and right now, the girl needed sleep.

"Have some medicine and a nap. You can eat when you wake up."

Callie sat up to swallow it and lay back down. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome."

The cough syrup didn't take long to kick in and Callie finally slept for a couple of hours. When she woke up, she went downstairs to the kitchen.

Lena was at the stove. "Hey. I was gonna get you up. You need to eat and take your pill. I made your favorite."

Callie sat down at the table and Lena brought over her food: grilled cheese with swiss and a hot bowl of tomato soup.

The smells made Callie's stomach rumble and she dug in. "This is so good. Can I have another sandwich?"

Lena smiled. Callie hadn't had much of an appetite in weeks; she was glad she wouldn't have to force food in her that night. "Sure. Just a minute."

Lena went back to the stove and was finishing it when Stef came in.

"Are you eating, Callie?"

"This is sandwich number two," Lena said as she placed it on her plate.

" _Two_ sandwiches, huh? Thought you weren't hungry?"

"No one can resist grilled cheese," Lena stated as fact.

"Especially yours, Mama. Thanks."

"You're welcome, honey. Feel better?"

"Yeah." Callie shook out a pill from her prescription bottle and swallowed it. "Where is everyone?"

"Mariana's at Tia's with some of the dance team, Jude's at Connor's, and Brandon's with his dad, so it's just us tonight," Lena informed her.

"How about a movie?" Stef suggested, thinking that would be fun and relaxing.

"Okay."

After Callie finished eating, Stef made popcorn while she picked out the movie. Callie snuggled into Stef as they watched it, but fell asleep toward the end.

Both moms hated to wake her, but Callie obviously needed to be resting in her own bed.

"Callie? Wake up, love."

She stirred. "Hm? Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, Mom." She sat up.

"It's okay. Why don't you head up to bed and call it a night?"

"Alright. Good n—" Callie dissolved into a sudden, unrelenting fit of coughs. Every time she could get a breath in, they kept coming.

Lena rubbed her back and Stef stood up. "Is your inhaler upstairs?"

Callie nodded as she continued to cough, her face turning red due to exertion.

Stef retrieved it, shaking it and handing it to her.

Grateful, Callie inhaled a breath of the medicine, holding it and exhaling. She was still coughing a bit and had another, which halted the severe spell. Exhausted, she let herself back against the couch and closed her eyes. "This...sucks," she wheezed.

"Are you okay?" Lena asked.

"I am now."

After a few minutes, Callie was calm enough to go upstairs. "Sorry if I scared you guys."

"You're sure you're okay?" Stef wanted to confirm.

"Yeah. It was a little scary to be so out of breath."

"You should be keeping this with you at all times," Stef ordered, holding the inhaler, "and not just until you think you don't need it anymore. Until Dr. C gives you the all-clear. Got it?"

She took it from her mom's hand. "Okay."

"Alright. Get to bed," Lena said, giving Callie a hug.

Callie hugged Stef as well before brushing her teeth and lying down. She sighed. It was barely ten o'clock and her brothers and sister were out having fun. It's not like she had the energy to go out, anyway; she could feel herself dozing off after only a few minutes of her head hitting her pillows...

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Sunday - 1:57 AM**

The slightest of wheezes could be heard as Callie slept fitfully that night. It slowly worsened and at first, small coughs emerged, until they grew stronger and more persistent, eventually waking her.

Callie's eyes shot open, adrenaline forcing her wide awake. She reached to flick on her lamp and grabbed her inhaler that she left on the bedside table.

Sitting up, she used it and the medicine did its job, opening up her lungs and allowing her to breathe more freely.

Callie was drinking some water when she heard footsteps out in the hall. Her door was quietly pushed open.

"Callie? You okay?" It was Lena.

The girl was surprised to see her; she was normally the heavier sleeper when compared to Stef.

"Mhm. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Don't worry about it."

"I don't like this. Trouble breathing."

Lena could see that Callie was still a bit shaken up over this latest attack. "Are you feeling anxious?"

"A little. I think it's the adrenaline wearing off."

"Lie down."

Callie did, rolling over to face the wall.

Lena began to gently scratch her daughter's back, hoping that the soothing repetitions would help her relax. "Once your meds start to kick in, all of this will go away."

"I hope so..."

Callie closed her eyes as she felt tension and stress leave her body; thanks to her mama's comforting touch, she was asleep again before she knew it.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I will have something new posted soon. Feel free to drop me a review. :)


	3. Callie & Mariana - strep throat

**A/N:** Hey, all. Here's another installment. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Callie/Mariana - strep throat**

 **Monday - 6:55 AM**

 _'Whoa...did I get hit by a bus some time in the last nine hours...?'_

That was Callie's first thought upon waking up that morning. She quickly felt everything at once: her head ached, her throat was swollen and sore, and it hurt to swallow.

"Mariana?" Callie croaked.

Her sister just whimpered in response.

"You, too?"

"Mhm..."

The two of them heard footsteps outside their door. "Whoever that is, come in here," Mariana said.

The door opened.

"Oh, Jude. Be the best brother ever and go get Moms, would you?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Judicorn."

Stef and Lena entered soon after, immediately taking in their daughters' ill appearances.

"Poor loves. Not feeling well at all, are we?" Stef guessed, going to Mariana while Lena went to Callie.

"Uh-uh," Mariana mumbled and Callie shook her head. The two of them sat up and their moms assessed them.

"Fever," Stef said, feeling Mariana's warm forehead.

"Yep," Lena agreed. "Swollen glands here."

"Mariana's, too."

"Does it hurt to swallow?" Lena asked Callie.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Okay. Open up and let me see."

Mariana did the same for Stef.

"Lena, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"White spots, red throat?"

"Yep."

"Strep," they both concluded at the same time.

"Okay. No school for either of you. I am going to go call Dr. C and schedule an appointment. You need antibiotics." Lena said.

"I'll call off work and take them, hon."

"If I didn't have that big meeting with the parent board today, I would do it."

"I know. In the meantime, it looks like I'm on fever watch."

Stef went to get the thermometer and Tylenol while Lena went downstairs to call the kids' pediatrician.

"Let's see what we're dealing with, Miss Thing." Stef took Mariana's temperature. "101.4."

Mariana swallowed some Tylenol and the blonde moved on to Callie. "You feel warmer than your sister. 101.7."

"I don't need medicine," Callie insisted.

"You sure? It could make you more comfortable."

"Mhm."

"Okay. Go back to sleep. I will get you guys up when it's time to go."

For the girls, that time came after 9 AM; their appointment was at 10.

The three of them were sitting in Dr. Inez' waiting room. Callie was slumped down in her seat so she could lay her head back while Mariana used Stef as a pillow until they were called back to be examined.

"So, I hear that a couple of rapid strep tests are in order. Before we get to those, let me take a quick look at you both." Dr. Inez washed her hands. "When did you guys start feeling sick?"

"This morning," Callie replied.

"Yeah, same," Mariana agreed.

"Okay. How do you feel, Callie?"

"Tired. Cold. My head hurts. My throat hurts really badly."

"How about you, Mariana?"

"The same, except I feel hot."

Dr. Inez took her patients' vitals and performed a basic exam on each of them, checking their eyes, ears, sinuses, lymph nodes, heartbeat, and breathing. After that, she moved on to looking in their mouths.

"Alright. Open up, Mariana. Tongue out, 'ah.'" She placed a depressor on her tongue. "Bingo. Red and inflamed. Spotting on the tonsils."

Dr. Inez found Callie's throat to be in a similar state as her sister's. "Okay. I'm ninety-nine percent sure this is strep, but these swabs should confirm it." She tore open a pack and had Callie go first. "I'm just gonna swab your tonsils for a sec."

Callie coughed as Dr. Inez withdrew the stick from her mouth. " _Owww_ ," she whined.

Mariana reacted the same way as she was tested. Dr. Inez put the swabs in sterile tubes and labeled them. "All done. This should take about fifteen minutes. Just hang out in here. I'll be back."

Dr. Inez returned shortly with the results: Callie and Mariana tested positive for strep. She sent them on their way with prescriptions for antibiotics and orders to rest and stay hydrated.

Stef got her daughters home as soon as she could. The two of them went right back to their beds.

"I'm gonna go fill out your prescriptions and go to the store. What do you guys want?"

"Fruit punch and frozen yogurt. Chocolate," Mariana requested.

"Your usual, then. How about you, Cal?"

"I don't want anything." She didn't feel the slightest bit hungry or thirsty.

"We've gotta keep fluids in you, love. I'll get you whatever you want."

"Fine. Berry Powerade and mint chocolate chip ice cream."

"Coming right up. I will be back. Sleep."

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Tuesday - 10:21 AM**

Callie went downstairs to the kitchen, finding it and the rest of the house empty besides Mariana who was sleeping. She spied a note on the table which she picked up and read:

 _Callie and Mariana,_

 _Mama and I decided to go in to work. We trust you can fend for yourselves while we're gone. Don't forget to take your medicine when you get up. There's plenty of food in the fridge if you decide to eat. Stay hydrated and rest. Meaning, some real sleep, whether that's in bed or on the couch._

 _Call if you need anything. Love you both._

 _Mom_

Callie set the note down and reached for her bottle of medicine that was next to Mariana's. She chased her pill down with some Powerade and took it to the couch.

Both Callie and Mariana spent the previous day in bed, feeling too poorly to do much else besides sleep.

She turned on the TV and found an episode of _Spongebob Squarepants_. It was childish and stupid, but comforting.

Mariana came downstairs some time later, looking absolutely miserable as she sat on the opposite end of the couch and wrapped the throw blanket around herself. "Can we watch _The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills_?" she pouted more so than asked.

Callie relented, going to the DVR and selecting the latest recorded episode. "I don't really get it."

"What's not to get? They're rich, pretty, and backstabbing bitches. Lisa is awesome."

"I think Yolanda's my favorite, though," Callie confessed. "I wouldn't wanna mess with her."

"Same with Lisa. Those European women can be feisty."

"So can you."

"Yeah, well, I'm Hispanic. It's in my blood."

Callie sighed when she realized what time it was. "Crap."

"What?"

"I'm supposed to work today. I've gotta call my boss. Oh, and your meds are on the table. Get up and take them. Moms say rest and hydrate."

Callie followed Mariana into the kitchen and called Josh's cell phone. "Hey, Josh. It's Callie."

"Hey. You sound rough. What's up?"

"I know I'm on the schedule for today, but I have strep. I didn't go to school yesterday or today. There's no way my moms will let me come in."

"Don't worry about it. Just find a replacement," he replied.

 _Welcome to the real world._ "Alright, I'll let you know."

"Okay. Bye."

Callie hung up and sent a group text to all of her co-workers:

 _I'm on the schedule from 3:30-6, but I have strep. Someone cover for me? Consider this an IOU._

Callie went back to the living room, looking like she was trying to summon a Voodoo spirit as she flitted her hands toward her phone. "Somebody text me back...somebody text me back..."

Mariana laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I can get off of work if someone covers my hours, but nobody's responding. It's been twenty minutes." Callie was getting anxious; she'd never had to do this before.

A girl named Izzy answered five minutes later: _Sure. I need the hours, anyway. Don't sweat the IOU._

"Izzy, you are a life-saver," Callie breathed as she texted her back, thanking her profusely. She called Josh back to deliver the news and he wished her well, hoping to see her back for her shift on Thursday.

"Crisis averted," Callie said to Mariana as she returned to the couch.

"Who's working for you?"

"Izzy."

"She seems cool." Mariana had talked to her a few times while at the burger stand.

"Yeah, she is. She's nineteen, working part-time and going to school. She's worked at the restaurant since she was sixteen; she can practically run the place herself."

"You guys should hang out."

"Yeah, maybe. She's invited me out, but I haven't gone. I don't know if Moms would let me."

"Because she's older? As long as she's not going to bars, I don't think they'll care."

"That's probably true."

"Ugh, I feel like crap," Mariana sighed, sinking further into her blanket.

"Are you hungry? I'll make you something."

"French toast?" Mariana suggested, giving her best 'just try saying no to this' face.

Callie laughed. "Sure. That sounds good, actually."

She went to the kitchen and got to work making the egg wash and frying slices of bread in a pan on the stove. When they were done, she brought them and some syrup to the couch, handing Mariana her plate.

"Mmmm. Good job," she remarked as she ate.

"Thanks."

Callie took their dishes to the kitchen sink when they finished and the two of them lapsed into silence as they watched TV.

Around one o'clock, Callie was ready for a nap. "I'm gonna lie down," she said, resting her head against the arm of the couch.

"I guess I should, too," Mariana decided and took her spot on the opposite side.

Lena and Jude returned home that afternoon after school let out. Lena couldn't help but chuckle at seeing Callie's feet next to Mariana's head, so she snapped a photo and sent it to Stef.

She let them sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** Just some good, old Callie/Mariana bonding. :)

I'm still just plugging along with planning and writing. I thank and appreciate everyone for their support.


	4. Jude - cold & ear infection - Ch 1

**A/N:** Hey, all. Here's something new, featuring everyone's favorite Judicorn. :) Enjoy.

* * *

 **Jude - cold + ear infection**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Tuesday - 7:10 AM**

Jude stepped down to the kitchen as Stef and Lena were making breakfast.

"Morning, Jude," Lena greeted him as she was stirring some scrambled eggs. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"I don't feel good," he answered, a bit glum, looking at his moms.

Stef turned from the counter and saw that her youngest son's color looked off. He was certainly ill. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I'm stuffy and my throat's scratchy. My ear hurts, too."

Stef walked over to him. "Which one?"

"The right."

Stef felt his forehead. "You feel a little warm. Get back in bed and we'll be there in a minute, alright?"

Jude complied, coughing a little as he retreated back up the stairs.

"He's obviously staying home. I'll call Roberts and Celia's office. Could be an ear infection." Stef grabbed the land line and went into the living room.

Upstairs, Callie was on her way to the kitchen when Jude walked past her. "Hey, dude. Is there a pajama day at school that no one told me about?"

"I'm sick."

"Is it your ears?" Callie guessed on a hunch.

"How'd you know?"

"You used to get ear infections all the time when you were little, so often that Mom wouldn't even make an appointment; she'd talk to the doctor and he'd call in a prescription for you. She'd bundle you up and drag us to the pharmacy to go get it while Dad was at work. Is Stef staying home with you?"

Jude shrugged. "Probably."

"Okay. Feel better." Callie ruffled his hair and Jude got back in bed.

Stef and Lena came into his and Jesus' room, armed with the thermometer.

"100.6. I'd say that's a fever, young man," Lena said. "How long have you felt sick?"

"I was kinda tired last night. My ear ached on and off."

"Okay. This is probably just a cold, but we wanna see about your ear. Dr. C has an opening at 10:30."

"Okay." Jude lay down.

"I'll let you know when we need to leave," Stef said.

Lena kissed his forehead. "I'll see you later, bub. Love you."

"Love you, too, Mama."

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Tuesday - 10:23 AM**

Jude was called back to the exam room a few minutes early; he was let in first while Stef followed.

"Hi, Jude, Stef," Dr. Inez greeted them, shutting the door.

"Hey."

"Why don't you hop up there and we'll get started?"

Dr. Inez washed her hands while Jude sat on the exam table. She took his temperature with a tympanic thermometer. "100.6; low-grade fever." She checked his blood pressure, and took his pulse, finding them to be within the normal range.

"So, you're feeling crummy, huh? That's no fun. Tell me about it."

"I was tired last night and had an ear ache on and off. I thought it'd go away. But, I woke up with a stuffy nose and scratchy throat; my ear's worse. It hurts," Jude explained, sniffling.

"Your right ear?"

Jude nodded.

"Well, let's have a look." Dr. Inez picked up an otoscope and viewed the interior of Jude's left ear first. "The left looks okay." She switched to the other side. "Yeah, there's some redness in there. How's your hearing? Does it feel 'blocked up' at all?"

"No."

"Any dizziness?"

"No."

"Okay. Your past medical history's a little vague. Can you remember if you had ear infections when you were younger?"

Jude nodded again. "I guess I got them a lot. Callie told me so this morning."

"Good to know. I will add that to your file. Let's see about the rest of you." Dr. Inez had Jude follow a penlight and finger with his eyes before grabbing a tongue depressor. "Okay. Open your mouth. Tongue out. Slight pharyngitis, no spotting. Nothing alarming. Just a sore throat," she clarified for him. "Gonna check out your sinuses." Dr. Inez cleaned the otoscope before using it again in Jude's nostrils, which caused him to sneeze into the crook of his elbow.

" _Ah'choo_!"

Stef and Dr. Inez blessed him, the latter offering him a tissue, which he accepted.

"Your sinuses are a little red, irritated."

Dr. Inez put on her stethoscope and listened to Jude's heartbeat. "Sounds good." She moved to his back. "Just take some deep breaths."

Jude did so.

"Your lungs are clear." She addressed Stef. "I think this is just a virus that will run its course, but given Jude's history of recurring otitis, I'll write a prescription for augmentin, just to be safe, so that we don't have any problems with bacterial resistance." Dr. Inez wrote on her pad and handed the slip to Stef. "Wait and see. If it gets worse or isn't better in twenty-four hours, go have that filled out. Rest, fluids, yada, yada."

"Jude, just go home and chill on the couch with some TV. You should be feeling better in a couple of days. Let Mom, here, wait on you. I think she can handle it," Dr. Inez teased him, holding out the candy jar.

Jude chose a piece of cherry Laffy Taffy. "Thanks, Dr. C." He hopped off the exam table and went to the door.

"Sure. Be well."

Stef stood from her seat. "Bye, Celia. Thanks."

"Of course. If he's not improving, we'll follow-up, okay? Call if you need anything. Have a good one."

"You, too."

Stef and Jude left the office and were driving home.

"Is there anything you want from the store while we're out?" Stef asked him.

"Why?"

"To make you feel better. The others always ask for certain stuff when they don't feel well. Jesus likes grape juice, Dunkaroos, and Life Savers, Mariana wants fruit punch and frozen yogurt, and Brandon, well, he just wants me or Mama. He turns into a big baby when he's sick," Stef smirked.

Jude chuckled at that.

"We'll stop somewhere and you can see if anything entices you."

"Okay."

Stef pulled into Ralph's and took a basket by the door. "Let's go by the drinks first."

The two of them walked down the aisle containing various boxes and bottles. "There's soda, tea, juice...take your pick."

Jude picked up a two-liter bottle of soda and put it in the basket.

"Ginger ale. Good choice."

They went to another area. "How about some Jell-O or pudding?"

He chose some chocolate pudding cups.

Their last stop was the frozen section. Jude shivered at the change in temperature that accompanied the line of freezers.

"There's quite a variety of stuff; browse and see what looks good."

It had been a long time since Jude could go to a store and pick out whatever he wanted. He surveyed the shelves of frozen treats, settling on a box of grape popsicles. "That's enough for me. Can we go home?"

"Sure."

When they got back, Jude went upstairs to change clothes while Stef put their purchases away in the kitchen. He came back down and curled up on the couch, pulling a blanket over himself.

"Do you want something to eat, Jude?" She set a box of Kleenex down on the coffee table for him.

"No, thanks."

Stef's cell phone rang. It was Lena. "Hey, love."

"Hey. I was just wondering how the doctor's went."

"Here, talk to Jude." Stef held the out her phone. "It's Mama."

"Hi."

"Hey, bubba. How're you feeling?"

"Crappy."

"Aw. What'd Dr. C say?"

"Just a virus or whatever."

"What about your ear?"

"It's red, but just wait and see if it gets worse."

"Okay. You rest. Let me talk to Mom."

Stef took her phone back from Jude. "I'm here."

"Celia held off on antibiotics?"

"Yeah, but we've got a prescription in case it's not better by tomorrow."

"Oh, good. I just wanted to check in before my lunch break was over."

"Of course."

"Love you."

"I love you, too."

Stef ended the call and sat next to Jude. "I bet you any money that Mama's gonna come home and make you her famous chicken soup." The concern that her wife had for their son was endearing. The bond that the two of them shared since he came into their lives was special, much like the relationship she had with Callie.

"Really?"

"It's an Adams Foster staple when a bug is an unwelcome visitor. It cures practically everything. Or it helps, at least."

Jude smiled a little and shifted to lie down. "I'm gonna sleep."

"Okay. Just yell if you need me."

Stef went upstairs to do laundry for the time being.

* * *

 **A/N:** I loved the Stef/Jude bonding that we saw in 3A and couldn't resist writing something involving them together. I will post the second part soon.


	5. Jude - cold & ear infection - Ch 2

**A/N:** Here's the second part.

* * *

 **Jude - cold + ear infection**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Tuesday - 4:01 PM**

Lena returned home from work, carrying grocery bags into the kitchen and setting them on the counter. She returned to the living room and smiled at the sight of Jude dozed off against Stef, snoring lightly with his head on her shoulder. "Has he been asleep long?"

"About ten minutes."

"Has he eaten anything?"

"A popsicle, but not a proper meal. He hasn't been hungry."

"I'm gonna get started on some soup. Maybe he'll have some."

Lena went back to the kitchen and got to work, roasting chicken in the oven and simmering some homemade chicken stock that had been defrosted. On another burner, she boiled water for noodles. She added chopped up carrots, celery, and herbs to the pot. When the chicken was cooked, she let it cool for a bit before removing the skin, setting aside the bones so that she could make more stock. She diced up the chicken and threw it in, with the par-boiled noodles going in last.

Mariana came downstairs to the kitchen, savoring the comforting aroma that wafted through the house. "Do we get to have some?"

"A little bit. It's for Jude." Lena chuckled. "Don't pout. You guys would devour it all before he could get any."

"Then, start making bad soup."

"Ha-ha."

"What are we eating?"

"Chili dogs." Lena went to the freezer and pulled out a container of turkey chili and began to warm it up on the stove with turkey dogs boiling in another pot.

"Cool."

Mariana went back upstairs and Stef entered, with Jude trailing behind her, taking his seat at the table.

Lena kissed Jude's head. "I've got soup for you. It's not quite ready yet. How's your ear?"

"I don't think it's worse."

"Good."

" _Aht'choo! ... 'Choo!_ "

Stef and Lena blessed Jude while he blew his nose. "Sneezing hurts my ear," he mumbled.

"Sorry, bud," Lena soothed, smoothing his back.

Eventually, everyone filed in and sat down to eat dinner.

Jude just tried not to gross anyone out at the table, wiping his nose with a Kleenex periodically. He couldn't really eat and breathe simultaneously, so his progress with his bowl of soup was slow.

"How is it, Jude?"

"It's good, Mama. Thanks." He put another spoonful of the warm broth in his mouth.

"It's delicious, as always," Mariana added with a smile as she finished what was left in her mug.

"I'm glad you approve," Lena smirked.

"Are we all gonna be here tomorrow?" Stef wondered.

"We just got assigned a group project in history. We decided to meet at the library after school," Mariana said.

Callie looked at her mom. "I have work from 3:30 to 7."

"Wrestling practice, remember? Every Wednesday," Jesus chimed in.

Stef swallowed a bite of potato salad. "When did we all get so busy?"

" _Aht'choo! ... 'CHUH!_ " Jude sneezed miserably, grateful that he sat on the end as he coughed away from the table.

"Well, I know _one person_ sitting here who's not going _anywhere_ tomorrow..." Stef sighed pointedly.

Callie ruffled her brother's hair. "Bless you."

Jude ate the rest of his soup. "Can I go to bed?" he asked, looking to his moms.

"Of course," Stef allowed softly.

Jude stood and got his phone and blanket from the living room before climbing the stairs to his and Jesus' room. He fell asleep with relative ease, despite his sore ear.

When everyone was finished eating, Stef and Lena left the others to clean up as they peeked in on Jude.

He was lying on his back, snoring; Stef covered him with a blanket and Lena felt his forehead. "Feverish," she murmured.

"At least he's asleep," Stef whispered. She went to their bathroom and plugged in the humidifier next to Jude's bed, hoping that the cool mist would help her son's congestion and cough.

They left him to rest as everyone else went about their evening as usual.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Wednesday - 2:27 AM**

When Jude woke up, he groaned. He turned over to glance at the time on his phone. It was almost 2:30 in the morning. His head ached, his nose was running, and his ear was throbbing painfully.

He sighed. ' _It's late, but I have to tell Moms.'_

Jude slowly sat up and took off his blanket. He felt lightheaded. Stubbornly, he got out of bed and shuffled across the hall.

He gently prodded Lena. "Mama?"

"Hey. What is it?" She reached to turn on the lamp.

"My ear. It's worse."

Lena rubbed the sleep from her eyes and saw Jude shiver. "Let me see." She felt his forehead and cheeks. "Your fever's up."

Stef stirred and rolled over. "What's wrong?"

"His ear."

She nodded. "Okay." She yawned and stretched.

"I feel a little dizzy and I can't hear so well out of it."

"Here. Sit down, babe," Lena instructed as she sat up, herself.

Stef got up and went to the bathroom, returning with the thermometer to take his temperature in his non-infected ear. "101.1."

"Poor bub," Lena cooed, kissing Jude's head.

Stef went to the closet to grab her jacket and slip on shoes. "I'm gonna go get his prescription filled out."

"It's almost 3 AM, honey."

"There's a twenty-four-hour pharmacy on Grand."

"You have work."

"So, I'll be a little tired. It's okay," Stef assured her wife.

"Really, Mom. You don't—"

"It's fine, Jude. I will be back." She kissed his head and got her keys.

Jude coughed, rubbing his ear.

"You don't need to be up. You need your sleep." Lena brought Jude some medicine. "Take this and climb in."

Jude did as he was told, swallowing the red liquid and lay down on his mom's side of the bed.

Meanwhile, Stef parked her SUV and went to the pharmacy counter, handing the slip of paper to the man behind it. "For my son."

"The joys of parenting, huh?"

"It's part of the deal."

"I should have this ready in fifteen minutes."

Stef thanked him and took a seat. After waiting for a bit, she got a text from Lena: _Jude's asleep in our bed. I gave him some NyQuil. Out like a light._

 _Okay. I'll be another twenty_ , she replied.

It was a quarter after three when Stef returned home. She shed her coat and took off her shoes, setting the paper bag on the coffee table. She grabbed the throw blanket off of the back of the couch and rested her head on a pillow.

6 AM arrived too quickly for Stef's liking. Her body did not appreciate sleeping in three-hour increments. Regardless, she got up and started the coffee pot, taking Jude's medicine to the bedroom.

Lena and Jude were still sleeping as she crept in and placed the bag on top of their dresser.

Stef took a shower and got ready for work, putting on her police uniform. She was downstairs in the kitchen with the rest of the kids, when Lena walked in.

"Hey, honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember when I said I'd stay home with Jude today?"

"Yes," Stef replied, letting her wife continue.

"Somehow, it completely slipped my mind that I'm supposed to be in meetings all day. Budget, updates to the curriculum...I'm gonna be swamped, so I have to go in."

"Okay. Is Jude awake?"

"Yeah."

The two of them went upstairs to their bedroom.

"Morning, Jude. How'd you sleep?" Stef asked.

"Okay."

"Well, listen, it turns out that Mama's gotta go in to school after all, so she won't be here. I was going to go to work, but I don't mind staying with you."

"That's okay. I'll be fine," Jude assured her, looking down a little.

Stef could hear disappointment in her son's voice. "Jude, I will stay home if you want me to. It's perfectly fine. I know you can handle things here on your own, but you don't have to be by yourself if you don't want to be."

"I don't...really want to. You can stay."

Stef smiled; she knew how difficult it was for Jude and those in foster care to articulate their needs and allow themselves to be heard. "Alright. I will call my boss and let her know and then I am all yours."

After Lena and everyone else left for the day, Jude went downstairs to the living room to watch TV. He settled on a recorded episode of _Chopped_ , curious as to what the competitors could do with the mystery ingredients they were given.

Stef was cleaning up the kitchen when she heard Jude coughing. She went to him, handing over a glass of water.

"Thanks," he said after having a few sips.

"Sure. What are you watching?"

" _Chopped_."

"Oh, Mama loves this show." She sat down next to him.

"Yeah, it's pretty good."

"How's your ear?"

"Sore."

"That infection should start clearing up in a couple of days."

A few minutes went by before Jude began to sneeze into a tissue. " _Ah'choo! ... Ah'CHOO!_ "

"Bless you, Jude."

"Thanks." He blew his nose. "Ow."

"Your ear?"

Jude nodded.

"I'll be right back."

Stef went to the kitchen and poured a bit of olive oil into a small pot. She gently heated it through and went upstairs to her bathroom before bringing some of it, a dropper, and cotton balls back to the living room.

"We don't have any ear drops, but we could give this a try. Your grandma always used this whenever I got ear infections. It's warm olive oil; it should ease the pain. Lay on your side."

Jude moved to do so, facing her.

Stef tested the temperature of the oil on her wrist, determining that it wasn't too hot. "I'm gonna place a few drops in your ear and plug it with cotton. Ready?"

"Yeah."

Stef dropped the oil in his inflamed ear canal.

To Jude, it felt strange to have liquid inside there, but once he got past that, the warmth felt good.

Stef put a couple of cotton balls inside Jude's ear. "All done. Lay like that for ten minutes and then you can sit up."

"How's it feel now?" Stef asked after the ten minutes were up.

"A little better, I think. It doesn't hurt as much."

"Good."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, love. Now, let's see...what would I do with wild boar, artichokes, _ketchup_ ," Stef elbowed him, "your favorite, and sauerkraut?"

Jude just laughed as they decided to let the professional cooks worry about the ingredients while they watched from the comfort of their home.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I just love Stef with her kids, so sweet. :) I also love _Chopped_ on Food Network. lol If you have an account, be sure to check out the poll I posted on my profile regarding this series (only registered users can vote). Make your vote count! Thanks for reading.


	6. Lena - cold

**A/N:** This won the poll. :) Enjoy.

* * *

 **Lena - cold**

"So, overall, based on his file and reports from his teachers, he's shown an improvement. If this trend continues, we might be able to reassess Tim's status in a few weeks and take him off of academic probation," Lena explained, slightly hoarse, to the parents sitting across from her. She turned to the side to cough, then drank from her water bottle. "Excuse me. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Whatever you think is best," Mrs. Ridgewell replied.

"We're getting Tim back on track, which is what matters. We've covered everything, unless you have any questions or concerns."

"No, I think we're up to speed," Mr. Ridgewell said, he and his wife standing.

"Okay. I'll let you know if anything changes or if we need to meet again."

Mrs. Ridgewell gathered her purse. "Sounds good. Thank you for your time."

"Of course. Forgive me if I don't shake your hands," Lena apologized, glancing to her desk sheepishly. "I know I have sanitizer around here somewhere."

"That's quite alright, Lena. Have a good day."

"And the same to you."

When the Ridgewells left her office, Lena let out a soft groan, reaching for a Kleenex.

On this particular Thursday, there was no school for the students of Anchor Beach, but it was Parent/Teacher Conference Day, which meant as Vice Principal, Lena was there meeting with parents. She was charged with reviewing the cases of discipline issues, along with students who were on academic probation due to not having met the mandatory minimum GPA in the previous quarter. She wished all parents were as flexible and understanding as the Ridgewells. So many decided to make excuses for their child's situation, which made Lena and the school seem like the heavy, which was counterproductive.

However, in this moment, Lena wanted nothing more than to be home, in bed, asleep. She didn't hear the knock on her office door as she was rummaging through a desk drawer, in search of DayQuil that had been her lifeline as of late.

"Hey, honey."

Surprised, Lena looked up to see her wife, Stef, holding a paper bag. "Hi. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but, what are you doing here?"

"Mike and I were headed back to the station and I remembered that you didn't take anything for lunch this morning, so...here." She set the bag on the table next to her desk. "Or is now not a good time?"

Lena shook her head. "No, it's perfect. My next meeting isn't for twenty minutes."

"How are you feeling?"

"Let's just say I would've taken the day off if I had the chance," Lena sighed.

"Well, I know this cold has been kicking your butt all week and it sucks that you had to work, so, I thought you deserved a special treat." Stef revealed one of Lena's favorite foods: half a veggie burger and a bowl of vegetable barley soup, from Viv's, her favorite deli.

"Viv's. You shouldn't have."

"Okay, then." Stef made a move to take the food away.

"No, don't," Lena protested, laughing as she pulled a chair over.

Stef smiled back, setting the containers in front of her.

"This looks amazing right now, it's... _t'chew!_ "

"Bless you."

"Thanks." Lena used another Kleenex and tried the soup first. "It's like heaven. It's delicious. Thank you, babe."

"Of course, my love."

"You're the best, really."

"That's what they call me," Stef smirked. "Alright. Now, you enjoy. Do you want me to pick up pizza or something for dinner?"

It was like Stef could read her mind; Lena knew she wasn't going to feel up to cooking when she got home. "That sounds good. The kids will be happy."

"Great. Listen, I've gotta run. I'll see you tonight." Stef blew her wife a kiss. "I love you."

"Love you back," Lena echoed, returning her lover's warm smile. "Be safe."

"I always am," Stef winked, leaving her wife to eat in peace.

Lena was grateful to have Stef as her partner in life, her best friend, who, somehow, always knew how to make her feel better and make her busy days more bearable.

* * *

 **A/N:** Cute wifey things make me happy. I love Stef and Lena.

I've got more installments written and am planning more. I'm hoping to give quite a few updates over the hiatus.


	7. Brandon & Jesus & Mariana - flu

**A/N:** These don't all include Callie and Jude. I like writing some that take place before they came into the Fosters' lives, for my own glimpse of what life was like for them as a family of five.

* * *

 **Brandon (11)/Jesus (10)/Mariana (10) - flu**

 _2009_

 **Tuesday**

Stef walked in the back door, setting her shopping bags on the table and taking off her messenger bag. Lena was preoccupied with loading the dishwasher.

"Hey, babe."

"Hi."

They kissed.

"How was work?"

"Long. I just wanted to get home. Are the kids in bed?"

Under normal circumstances, she knew they wouldn't be at six in the evening, but all three were down with the flu, which meant sleeping at odd hours of the day.

"They're down here watching TV."

"I got what you asked for." Stef removed her purchases from the bags: Children's Tylenol, Children's Robitussin, two boxes of Kleenex, fruit punch and chocolate frozen yogurt for Mariana, Life Savers for Jesus, and orange Gatorade for Brandon. She put some of it away.

They both heard barking, congested coughs coming from the living room.

Stef's eyes turned sad and slightly worried. "Is that Mariana?"

Lena nodded.

"She's got it the worst this time, huh?"

Brandon came down with it first, three days prior. Then, Jesus, and finally, Mariana. The boys were getting over it, but their daughter was going in the opposite direction. She had a high temperature and a worsening cough.

"I already called Celia. She'll see her tomorrow morning at 9."

Stef nodded. "I'll go in to work late so you don't have to drag the boys along."

"I appreciate that and I'm sure they will, too. Go see them and check their fevers."

Stef went to the living room. The glow from the TV screen lit up their faces. Brandon, Mariana, and Jesus were on the air mattress with their blankets and pillows. Mariana was sleeping.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Mom," Brandon said, glancing at her, then back to the screen. They were watching _Phineas and Ferb_.

Jesus just grunted.

Stef knelt down next to her oldest son. "How're you feeling, B?"

"Better. Still tired."

"Yeah?" She felt his forehead. "Your fever's almost gone. Let me check." She took the thermometer out of his ear when it beeped. "100.2. You could be back in school by Thursday."

Mariana coughed, shifting a little in her sleep. Jesus put a gentle hand to his twin's side, smoothing her blanket.

"She doesn't look so good, Mom," Brandon noted in a serious tone.

Stef rubbed his back. "Don't worry. Mama's taking her to the doctor in the morning."

"Do we have to go, too?"

"No. I'll be here, and then I'll go to work when they get back."

"Can I go practice piano?"

Stef figured Brandon must be feeling better if he wanted to play; in the past few days, he'd felt too awful to entertain the thought. She looked at the clock. "Use your headphones, please. Twenty minutes, and then I want you in bed. You don't have to sleep, but you'll entertain yourself quietly. Got it?"

Brandon nodded. "Okay." He took his bedding upstairs.

Stef then maneuvered herself over to Jesus. "And how are _you_ , Mr. Caveman?" She softly echoed his earlier grunt.

He shrugged noncommittally.

Stef felt his forehead as well. "You're still warm." Jesus pulled his comforter tighter around his head and swatted at her when she tried to take his temperature. "Hey, hey, hey. Jesus. None of that. Give me two seconds, dude." He relented and his result was 101.4, down half a degree from the day before. Like his brother, he was on the mend. "You'll go to bed when Brandon does. Twenty minutes." She kissed his head and turned her attention to her sickest child.

"Poor love," Stef murmured, finding her youngest's skin to be hot and clammy. Mariana stirred a little when she used the thermometer, but didn't wake up. 102.7.

Mariana coughed and was wheezing slightly, but otherwise appeared to be resting comfortably. They weren't going to wake her; sleep was paramount for her right then.

The three of them lapsed into silence for a bit when Jesus began to sneeze. He tried to keep them quiet, but his sharp movements jostled the mattress.

Mariana whimpered, opening her eyes. "Wha'happened?"

"I'm sorry, Mari. I'm sorry," Jesus apologized immediately, kissing her head.

"Mommy, I don't feel good," Mariana cried, on the verge of tears.

"I know, baby," Stef soothed, smoothing her hair. "Don't cry. It's okay." She could see that Jesus felt terrible about waking her up. She passed him some Kleenex, which he blew into.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to," he said to her, hanging his head.

She touched Jesus' shoulder. "I know you didn't, buddy. It was an accident. It's alright."

Upon hearing the noise, Lena entered the room. "Is everything okay in here?"

"Jesus accidentally woke her up. She should've been in her room. Jesus, why don't you go upstairs? I'm not mad, okay? You guys need your rest."

Jesus grabbed his things. "G'night, Mari." Lena followed him to his room.

"How do you feel, love?" Stef asked her daughter softly.

"I hurt...everywhere. My head feels heavy. I'm hot and cold."

"Does it hurt when you breathe?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh. It just feels funny. It makes me sleepy."

Stef felt slightly relieved that she wasn't having chest pain; a doctor's visit could wait until tomorrow as planned. "I'll bet. How about we get you in your own bed?"

"'kay."

"I'll help you sit up and then I'll carry you. Ready?"

Stef did most of the work as she got Mariana in a seated position, barely holding her head up. Stef moved to lift her and her blanket. "C'mon, little lady. Oof, you're getting heavy." Her daughter was weak and barely holding on to her, shivering. Once they got to her room, Stef lay her down gently on her bed and covered her up to keep her warm.

"Lena?"

"Yeah?" she answered, coming to the threshold.

"Mari's medicine is in the kitchen. Will you get it, please?"

"Of course." Lena returned with the bottle of Robitussin and a glass of water. She opened it and poured some in the dosage cup. "This will help that cough of yours so you can sleep. Mom found it in fruit punch, your favorite. Lucky girl."

Mariana eyed it skeptically, then lifted her head and swallowed it along with some water. "It's not _totally_ gross."

"I brought the Tylenol up, too. I'll give Jesus some if he wants it." Lena left to do so.

She knocked lightly on his door and pushed it open. "Jesus? I've got some medicine to bring your fever down so you can sleep. Do you need it?"

"No!" Jesus bellowed from underneath his blanket.

"Jesus Foster, do not yell," Lena ordered firmly. "You guys are gonna be sleeping pretty soon."

"Sorry," he huffed, much quieter this time.

Lena sat down next to him. "I know you're upset about waking your sister. I promise you're not in trouble. It was an accident, okay?"

Jesus mumbled something, but Lena couldn't make it out.

"What, honey?"

He pulled back the blanket. "I'm s'pposed to protect her and I hurt her."

"No, you didn't, babe. You didn't hurt her. She's just sicker than you and Brandon are. That's all. She's gonna feel better really soon."

Jesus believed her. "Okay."

"Now, let's try this again: do you want some medicine? It'll make you more comfortable."

Jesus sat up and swallowed some Tylenol.

Lena switched on his white noise machine while he settled into his mattress and blankets. It mellowed him out at bedtime so he could sleep.

"Good night. Love you." She kissed his head.

"'Night, Mama."

Lena turned off the light and went out into the hall where Stef was quietly closing Mariana's door. "Is she out?"

"Like a light."

"Good."

"Is he okay?" Stef asked, looking in the direction of Jesus' room.

"He's fine. He had some Tylenol."

Stef opened Jesus' door a crack. "Good night, Jesus. I love you."

He yawned. "'Night, Mom."

Stef closed his door. "He should sleep through the night. Miss Thing, however..." she sighed, purposely trailing off.

"She'll be awake at some point," Lena agreed.

They went to Brandon's room. He was still playing his keyboard, so he was most likely oblivious to what just happened between his siblings.

Lena got his attention. "Shaking the rust off?"

Brandon didn't understand the expression. "Huh?" He removed his headphones from his ears.

"You haven't played in a few days. How's it feel?" Stef asked him.

"Okay. It feels good."

"Glad to hear it. However, your twenty minutes are up, mister. Hop into bed."

Brandon turned off his keyboard and did as he was told.

"Do you want a book to read? You can play on Mama's iPad or watch a movie."

Brandon thought about it. "I'm feeling like _Monsters, Inc._ "

Lena laughed. "Sure, bud." She retrieved her iPad and headphones from their bedroom and set him up.

With everyone settled, Stef and Lena went downstairs to the kitchen.

"All of this Dr. Mom business has me starving," Stef remarked, pulling out leftovers from the refrigerator. She made herself a plate of turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and veggies, warming it in the microwave.

Lena made herself a cup of tea while Stef ate.

"So, besides all of that, how were they all day?"

"Brandon was up by ten. He had some sausage and toast and lounged on the couch, mostly, with the TV all to himself."

"I'm sure he was content."

Lena nodded. "Jesus got up around noon. I gave him Tylenol and he joined Brandon. Mariana was out cold until two; then, she was feeling miserable. I gave her fluids and got her back to sleep. They were all downstairs by four."

"Did you get any work done?" Stef wondered. Lena brought some tasks from her office to complete at home while she took care of the kids.

"Some. Revising grant proposals and looking over curriculum stuff. The kids were pretty quiet."

"That's good."

"How was your day?"

"Patrol was boring. Although, Vasquez and I did stop to eat at this new food truck. Really good sandwiches. I had a chicken pesto one. Otherwise, I had paperwork to catch up on. Busy work."

"Fun."

"You know it."

Stef and Lena changed into more comfortable clothes and went to the living room to catch up on their shows, courtesy of their newly-purchased DVR. Stef poured herself a glass of wine while Lena stuck with her tea. They watched the latest episode of _Lost_ and had moved on to an episode of _Grey's Anatomy_ when they heard footsteps on the stairs.

It was Brandon.

"Do you need something, B?" Stef asked.

"Just thirsty. Gonna go to bed."

Lena looked at the time; it was going on 8:30. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Brandon went to the kitchen for some water and started toward his room.

"Excuse me, sir, where's my hug?" Stef wondered, feigning hurt.

He rolled his eyes a little and hugged her. "G'night, Mom."

"Did you brush your teeth?"

" _Yes, Mom_ ," he sighed, annoyed.

"Just checking," Stef smirked. "Love you."

Lena had her turn. "Get a good night's sleep."

"Love you, Mama."

"Did you see him roll his eyes? He's growing more and more into a 'tween' every day," Stef observed wistfully after Brandon left them.

Lena took her lover's hand, their fingers intertwined. "We'll have a house full of teenagers before we know it."

For now, the two of them were content with what they had: three great kids and each other, ready to take on whatever life would throw their way.

* * *

 **A/N:** I really, really like this one. I hope you all do, too.


	8. Stef & Callie - URI

**A/N:** Here's another. Enjoy. :)

* * *

 **Stef/Callie - upper respiratory infection**

 **Friday**

Stef was sitting on the couch. She heard Callie before she saw her; the girl's heavy coughs, much like her own, preceding her.

"Hey, baby. You cold?" Callie had a sweatshirt on, a new layer that wasn't present during dinner.

She nodded, stepping down into the living room. She grabbed a blanket and lay down in her mom's lap.

Stef stroked Callie's hair as they watched TV, both sort of dazed. She felt her daughter shivering, while she was the opposite: burning hot in just a t-shirt and cotton loungepants.

It was her turn to cough, feeling like her lungs were on a hamster wheel, with the junk inside them going nowhere.

The two of them had been knocked off of their feet by a respiratory infection for close to a week. What started off as a simple cough turned into miserable hacking, fever, and chest congestion. Stef hadn't been to work in three days and Callie had only gone to school on Monday.

Callie placed a comforting hand on her mom's knee, knowing how awful they both felt.

Stef smiled a bit before having some water.

Lena entered from the kitchen. "What am I going to do with you two?" she sighed, gauging Callie's temperature with her hand. "Still warm."

"Tell that to the rest of me," the girl chattered lightly, snuggling deeper into the couch.

Lena felt her wife's pale skin as well. "You, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Stef huffed, waving her away, not wanting to be fussed over.

Callie surrendered to coughs once again, needing to sit up and spit into a tissue. "Gross." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"At least yours is coming out. I think my lungs have been replaced with bags of sand."

"Dr. C scheduled you to have blood work and a chest x-ray taken tomorrow morning, along with a sputum culture, and then she wants to see you after. 9 AM."

Callie groaned at her mama's news. "Why?"

"She's worried that you aren't improving and wants to make sure we haven't missed anything, like pneumonia."

"Mom's still sick, how come she doesn't have to go the doctor, too?"

"Because she's as stubborn as the day is long." Lena's smile was playful. "And because I can force you."

Callie rolled her eyes, looking to Stef. "It's like she's enjoying this. Can you believe it?"

"Sorry, kiddo. I agree with Mama on this one. I honestly feel a little better; if this damn fever would just break..."

The house phone began to ring and Lena answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello, darling."

"Hey, Mom."

"I'm just calling to see how my all of my loves are doing. I miss you."

"We miss you, too. We're doing okay."

Callie coughed again, which didn't go unnoticed by Dana on the other end of the line.

"Oh, my. Who is that?" she wondered, immediately concerned.

"Callie and Stef have been sick."

"It sounds serious."

"From what we can tell, it's a nasty bronchitis. They've had it for almost a week."

"Have they seen a doctor?"

"Callie has, yes. She's going back tomorrow." Lena gave her a look that left no more room for argument. "Our pediatrician wants a chest x-ray and blood work to rule out pneumonia, just to be safe."

"That's good. It's better to be thorough. May I speak with her?"

"Sure." Lena held out the phone to Callie. "It's Gram."

"Hey, Gram," Callie greeted her, a bit tired.

"Hi, my love. Your mama says you've been sick. I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Thanks."

"Has she been taking good care of you?"

Callie smirked at Lena. "Maybe _too_ good. She's a worrier."

Dana laughed. "I know all about that. She just wants you better and so do I. I want everyone well and whole for mine and your grandfather's visit next week, you hear me?"

"I'll try my best."

"I know you will, baby. Feel better."

"Thanks, Gram."

"Pass the phone on to your mom. I love you."

"Love you, too."

Stef took the phone from Callie. "Hey, Dana. How are you?"

"I'm well, Stef. From what I hear about you and Callie, not so much lately."

"Oh, we're hanging in there. We're tough."

Callie moved to lie against Stef. She wasn't feeling so tough right then. She was cold and achy.

"I know that. How are things otherwise?"

"Work is work. I haven't gone in since Tuesday. I've got some sick time saved up. I'm scheduled off this weekend, anyway."

"Well, that's good. That'll give you time to get well."

"I hope so," Stef sighed, which turned into coughs. "Excuse me, Dana."

"It's alright. You poor things."

"Our little STEM genius, Mariana, helped Anchor Beach win their coding exhibition versus Hilldale Prep last weekend," Stef informed Dana, catching her up on all the latest happenings with her other grandchildren.

"That's fantastic. She is really something."

"She gets her brains from Lena, that's for sure."

"From _both_ of you," Dana corrected her, unwilling to let her daughter take all of the credit.

Stef smiled. "Jude is becoming quite the chef around here."

"Is he really?"

Stef looked to her wife, who was wearing a proud smile. "He loves helping Lena in the kitchen and he impressed his home economics teacher last semester. We're thinking of signing him up for some cooking classes."

"It's great that he's found a passion at his age."

"Yeah. And even if it doesn't end up being his career, the training and skills aren't bad things to have as an adult."

"That's true. How's our Piano Man?"

Stef chuckled at the Billy Joel reference. "Brandon's fine. He's actually been practicing pretty hard for his recital next month."

"Ever the artist, perfecting his craft," Dana sighed fondly.

"He's been focused; we're very proud of him. Jesus is just being a teenage boy. Skating with friends, enjoying the beach."

"Ah, the frivolity of youth."

"We've gotta stay on him about his homework, which he's all too happy to just ignore," Stef said with a laugh. "He's glad the weekend's here."

"He'll buckle down when the time comes."

"We make sure of it. I think I'm gonna head up to bed, get some rest."

"Of course. Take care of our Callie, yeah?"

"We always do. Good night, Dana."

"Good night, Stef. Stewart and I send our love. Feel better."

"Thanks. Bye."

Stef ended the call. "Cal, I'm gonna go to bed. I'm beat."

"Stay," she whined slightly.

"Since when are you so clingy? You taking Mariana's job?" She felt Callie's forehead, but couldn't tell whether it was her hand or her daughter's face that was warm, or both. "I think the doctor is just what you need."

"What about you?"

"I will go if I'm not better by Monday."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Lena informed her wife seriously.

"I wouldn't expect you not to."

Stef kissed Callie's head and stood.

"'G'night, love," she told Lena as they lent each other a gentle touch in passing.

"Good night, honey."

With Stef's footsteps faded and their bedroom door shut, Lena turned to Callie. "Maybe you should follow Mom's lead."

"But, I just came down here. I needed a change of scenery."

"Alright," Lena sighed. "Thirty minutes, and then it's time for bed." She came to sit next to Callie, who lay against her like she did with Stef. "You feel awful, don't you?"

She only shrugged in response.

"We'll see what the tests tell us."

"I guess they can't hurt," Callie conceded, knowing everyone was on the same team of wanting her better.

 _[][][][][][]_

"I swear to God, if you cough one more time..."

"Well, _excuse_ the hell out of me."

"And do you have to breathe so loudly?"

"You try breathing through clogged pipes. I'm practically drowning, here."

"Well, it's gross."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I'm trying to sleep, too, you know."

"Well, try harder."

Lena came to Callie's and Mariana's door. "What is going on?"

"Callie's too loud. I can't sleep with her being all... _sick_."

"Tell Mariana to get off of my back."

"Alright, alright. Callie, I will bring you some medicine so you can sleep. Mariana, lay off your sister. She feels bad enough without you adding to it."

"Fine," she sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I'd be annoyed, too."

"That's putting it mildly."

" _Mariana_ ," Lena warned.

"Okay, okay."

Lena returned with cough syrup for Callie, which the girl swallowed. She returned to bed and didn't hear a peep from her daughters' room for the rest of the night.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Saturday**

"I'm glad we went back."

"I sound worse than I feel," Callie replied to Lena as they were walking to the car after having her blood drawn, a chest x-ray taken, and visiting Dr. Inez to follow up. Her arm was bruised from where the needle had been inserted and her chest ached because of a bad coughing fit while being examined.

Lena shot her a disbelieving look; her daughter gave Stef a run for her money when it came to downplaying anything that made her vulnerable. "Your temperature and new inhaler say otherwise." Callie was still wheezing and running an 101-degree fever.

"Whatever," she sighed as they got in and began the drive home.

"Honey, it's okay. Dr. C was right to call you back in. That's her job. We'll get you on the right track."

After a few minutes, Callie spoke up. "Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Can we stop somewhere?"

"I'd like to get you home. What did you have in mind?"

"In-N-Out?"

Lena smiled a little, willing to fulfill such a request. Callie was sick, after all and a bit of comfort food could go a long way. She pulled into the closest restaurant and went through the drive-thru. "What would you like?"

"A medium fry and a medium chocolate shake."

Callie's mood noticeably improved upon receiving her food. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I think Mom will be jealous."

"I can share."

"You're so sweet. That's yours. You enjoy it."

Callie was still eating when they got home, so she took it inside to the kitchen.

"In-N-Out, huh? You softie," Stef teased her wife.

"Like you're one to talk. You're all marshmallow, babe."

"That's about how I feel right now," she sighed, sipping her water. "Any news?"

"Callie's results should be in tomorrow. Physical exam wasn't conclusive. Celia did prescribe her some albuterol to use as-needed."

"Okay. How do you feel, Cal?" Stef asked her.

"The milkshake helps."

"Glad to hear it."

"Finish that and I want you upstairs resting," Lena said.

Callie complied.

 _[][][][][][]_

"You wanted her upstairs, you didn't say in which room," Stef smirked about an hour later.

"Ha-ha."

Stef and Lena chuckled at the sight of Callie asleep on Lena's side of their bed.

"Details, woman. Specifics."

"Alright. Why don't you join her? Get some sleep."

Stef climbed in next to Callie as she tried not to wake her. The girl shifted in her sleep, almost sensing her presence as she moved closer to her mom, unconsciously seeking comfort.

Stef smoothed Callie's hair with her fingers. "We'll be here if you need us."

All Lena needed was her wife and daughter healthy again, and soon, they would be.

* * *

 **A/N:** My headcanon for Jude is that he goes to culinary school after he graduates, eventually owning his own restaurant. The show has shown him in the kitchen and such, willing to help Lena cook.

I'm still writing more of these and will post again soon.


	9. Callie - cold

**A/N:** I've been on a real creative streak lately and have been working on more installments for this. I hope you enjoy this one.

* * *

 **Callie - cold**

"C'mon, girls! Patience! Hold the ball!"

Tristen kicks the ball, making a long switch to the other side of the field.

 _Click_.

Ryan runs at a defender, jukes right and fires a shot that the goalkeeper holds onto.

 _Click_.

"Go, Whales!"

Callie could feel the drizzle start to become bigger drops on her hooded sweatshirt.

It was a gray, damp Saturday afternoon at Cedarville Prep, almost an hour away from Anchor Beach, the soccer team's furthest away game of the season.

As a photographer for the school newspaper, _The Sea Breeze_ , Callie was on the schedule to cover the game. Her friend Elle was on the team, so, she'd stayed at her house the night before and joined her on the bus.

The referee's whistle sounded for a foul, which halted play.

Callie turned into her shoulder to cough, sniffling a bit. She checked her camera to make sure it wasn't getting wet; the Nikon she was using belonged to the school and she was responsible for any damages.

Anchor Beach lost the ball and Callie caught a shot of Elle, a midfielder, going in for a tackle.

 _Click_.

Another whistle and a warning. Both players got up, wet and muddy.

Right before halftime, the rain started to get heavier and Callie was grateful when she could get under some cover and dry off. Brianna's mom, Kathy, offered her some hot coffee from her thermos, which she accepted.

"Thanks," she said, savoring the warmth of the styrofoam cup around her hands.

"Sure. You looked like you could use it."

Callie took a sip, the liquid easing her sore throat slightly. She coughed again.

"You sound like you're getting sick."

"I'm alright, really." Callie tried not to avert her eyes, but, Kathy's attention and concern made her a bit uncomfortable. It felt weird when it came from another adult who wasn't family.

It was too late for 'maybes.' She'd felt sick when she had woken up that morning, in a sleeping bag on Elle's bedroom floor. The two of them were crunched for time, so, she wasn't able to get a replacement, even if she wanted to.

"Well, after you're done, you're welcome to an umbrella. We have an extra."

She nodded, walking off to drink her coffee in peace.

Callie got a few more shots in the second half before taking up Kathy's offer in the bleachers. She held the umbrella with one hand and surveyed the pictures she took with the other, seeing which ones would be considered for the article on the game.

"That's a good one," Kathy remarked over her shoulder, a shot of Sara, a forward, and Cedarville's goalkeeper both trying to get to a pass, nearly colliding.

"Yeah, thanks." She could feel her nose running and wiped it with her sleeve, stealthy.

Later, and not a moment too soon, the final whistle sounded and the game ended. The Blue Whales had lost 1-0, to a scrappy goal off of a corner kick in a tight contest.

The teams and referees began to walk off the field and everyone else cleared out as well, with Callie waiting for Elle outside of the school's gym.

"Hey. Great game," she greeted her friend, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

"It sucks to lose like that."

"You'll get 'em next season."

"Totally."

The two of them walked down the hallway to the bus, ready to get back to San Diego.

Callie stopped to sneeze into her elbow. " _H'chew!_ "

"Bless you," Elle's teammate, Jen, offered in passing.

"Thanks," she replied, now congested. She went into a bathroom to use a paper towel.

"You okay?" Elle asked as Callie stepped on to the bus and sat down beside her.

"Not really."

"Awww. Does Callie have the sniffles?" the strawberry blonde wondered, teasing.

"Screw you," Callie retorted with a laugh.

"Are you gonna stay over again tonight?"

"Maybe. I don't wanna get you sick."

"I wouldn't mind a three-day weekend. Bring on the germs."

Callie rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot."

"But you love me anyway, so, who's the real idiot, here?"

"That's easy; Collins," Krissy answered for them, which made them laugh. Elle responded by tossing a pretzel at her.

Elle's parent's picked them up at Anchor Beach when they returned.

"So, where to for lunch, ladies? What sounds good?" Elle's dad, Chuck, inquired as he drove away from the school.

"Maybe a burger. Something comforting and greasy. What do you think, Cal? Callie?"

Callie was staring out the window, but snapped out of her haze. "What?"

"Wanna go to the Shake Shack? A bacon cheeseburger is calling my name."

She wasn't very hungry and a burger didn't sound appealing at all. "Um, I'll pass, if that's okay."

"Not feeling well?" Elle's mom, Gina, guessed, looking at Callie's tired face in the rearview mirror.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, honey. We'll go back to the house and get your stuff. Do you need to call your moms?"

"No. One of them should be home. If not, I have a key."

"Alright."

Callie got her bags from Elle's room and brought them to the car.

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Collins," she said as they pulled up to her house. Lena's Prius was in the driveway.

"Of course. Feel better," Chuck replied with a smile. "Do you need help with your bags?"

"I've got it. I'll text you later," Callie told Elle.

"Don't die on me or anything."

Callie laughed. "I won't, but I'd rather suffer here. See you on Monday." She shut the car door and went inside, carrying her bags upstairs to her room.

Lena set her shovel on the grass and stepped away from the garden to get some water from the kitchen when there was a knock on the front door. She answered it, finding Elle on the other side.

"Hi, Elle. Is something wrong?" she wondered, not expecting Callie to come home until the next day.

"Hi, Mrs. Adams Foster. Callie forgot her sweatshirt, that's all."

Lena took it from her. "Thanks."

"I hope she feels better. Have a good day."

"You, too," she echoed, suspicious, as she closed the door and went upstairs.

Lena found Callie crawling in to bed with a soft groan.

"What are you doing home so early?"

Callie rolled over to look at her mama and the red hoodie in her arms.

"You forgot it."

"Oh." A sniffle.

Lena came over to feel her forehead. "A bit warm. How long?"

"This morning. There wasn't time to call somebody else. It rained."

"Did you stay dry?"

"For the most part."

"That couldn't have been fun."

"It wasn't." Callie coughed.

"Sore throat? Headache?"

She nodded. "Do we have any tissues?"

Lena brought her a box, setting it on the bedside table.

"Thanks, Mama."

"Stay in bed. Get some sleep."

"'Kay."

Lena kissed her hair. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Callie was glad to be home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Don't be afraid to request something. I keep them and my fic ideas in a Word document. :)


	10. Jesus - strep-tonsillectomy - Ch 1

**A/N:** It was always in my plans to post that last Callie one and then post a few where she's not the focus. Here's the beginning of the first; I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

 **Jesus (13) - strep throat/tonsillectomy**

 **Chapter 1**

 _2011_

"Moms... _Moms_..." Jesus moaned as he made his way to the kitchen from his room one Tuesday morning.

 _Yes_ , Jesus?" Stef replied as her son entered, taking one look at him and knowing what the problem was. "Lena, he's sick again," she sighed, which made her wife turn from the stove.

"Is it your throat, baby?" Lena asked as she took in his pale face and flushed features.

He nodded sullenly. "Mhm."

She went to him and felt his forehead. "You're burning up, young man." She felt the glands in his neck as well, finding them swollen. "Well, no school for you, and it's time to talk to Dr. C about getting those pesky tonsils of yours removed."

At the mention of surgery, Jesus stiffened, and a look of fear crossed his face.

"Did I say my throat? I meant...my... _ears_. Yeah, my ears hurt. _Really_ bad. _Owww_ ," he whined dramatically, placing a hand on the right one.

Stef smiled a bit at her son's attempt to avoid the subject. "Jesus, you heard what Dr. Inez said last time. One more infection and those tonsils have got to go. We've gotta be in the double digits by now with how many throat infections you've had in the last two years. All the missed school, Mama and me having to miss work to stay home with you. I'm sorry, dude, but it's time."

"But, I don't wanna have surgery!"

"I know, but we promise, this is the best thing for you. Aren't you tired of being sick all the time?"

"I guess," he shrugged.

"Yeah. The surgery won't happen right away. You've gotta get better first. Don't worry, okay?" Stef kissed his head. "Now, go hang out on the couch. Do you want a drink?"

"Just water," he said, before going to the living room and turning on the TV.

Stef and Lena both sighed.

"Well, I can't stay home with him, Lena. I did last month and Captain Roberts will have my head if I call off again."

"Okay."

The two of them went off to handle some things: Lena, Anchor Beach and Dr. Inez's office, and Stef, tending to Jesus for the time being, until she had to leave for work.

Stef went upstairs for the thermometer and Tylenol, making pit stops to say good morning to Mariana and Brandon, who were getting ready for school.

"Jesus is sick again?" Brandon assumed once he saw what his mom was holding.

"Yep. Mama's staying home, so, I'll take you and your sister to school. I think we'll just have cereal this morning, okay?"

"Cool," he said, going to his dresser for clothes.

Stef returned to her ailing son, who was watching TV with little interest. She set the Tylenol down and handed him the thermometer. "I'll get your water."

Obedient, Jesus placed it under his tongue and waited for the beep, just as his mom came back from the kitchen with a glass of ice water.

He read the result. "102."

"Poor love," Stef sighed, clearing the screen and setting it on the coffee table.

Jesus reached for the Tylenol and swallowed some, along with water.

"Do you need something else?"

He shook his head, covering up with a blanket.

Lena had just hung up with the kids' doctor. "Celia can see him at noon. We'll get this whole tonsils thing in motion."

"Jesus will be thrilled."

"He'll thank us for this."

"Yeah, sure. I'll just be glad when it's over."

 _[][][][][][]_

"It would seem our great nemesis, _streptococcus_ , has returned with a vengeance," Dr. Inez said as she examined her patient's swollen, red throat with a penlight.

"Uh-huh," Jesus agreed.

"Alright. Jesus," she sighed, "as always, I've gotta swab and see exactly what we're dealing with so I can give you the right meds."

He groaned; he hated this part.

She touched his shoulder and offered him a sympathetic smile. "I know. I'll be quick."

Jesus gagged as Dr. Inez swabbed his throat for the culture, which she promptly had tested.

Once she had the results, which was strep, yet again, she wrote out a prescription of antibiotics for Lena to fill out.

"Fluids and rest, okay? We're gonna get you better, I promise. I need to talk to your mama for a minute; boring, adult stuff," the doctor winked, opening the door. Lena had informed her of Jesus' anxiety surrounding his surgery and thought it best not to discuss it in front of him.

Jesus left them for the waiting room.

"Okay, Lena. Here's what the plan looks like right now: we knock this strep out, wait a couple of weeks for the Tylenol and such to leave Jesus' system, then, he'll have the tonsillectomy as an outpatient, going home the same day."

She nodded.

"I'll get in touch with Dr. Fields over at UCSD next week and set up a pre-op appointment; he'll go over the procedure and answer any questions you or Jesus may have."

"Sounds good."

"Well, I'll let you get him home. Is there anything else you need from me?"

Lena shook her head. "Thanks, Celia."

"Of course. We'll talk soon."

 _[][][][][][]_

"How does soup sound? I could pick some up right now," Lena suggested to her son as they stopped at a red light.

"Nah," Jesus sighed. He thought for a moment. "Shredded beef over rice sounds kinda good, as long as it's soft."

"Sure, babe. Whatever you want."

"And maybe some rice pudding?" he added, looking especially hopeful.

Lena smirked at that, knowing he was playing up his illness _just a little_ to get his favorite dessert. "Okay. I'll get you home, and then, go to the pharmacy and the store."

Jesus spent the afternoon on the couch, napping and channel-surfing as his mama got to work on his requested meal.

"What'cha watching, Zeus?" Lena wondered, joining him in the living room while the roast was in the oven.

" _Ghost Adventures_."

"Like _Ghostbusters_?"

"They go into all these haunted places and investigate and try to find evil spirits and stuff."

"Sounds kinda scary."

"Don't be a wuss, Mama. It's sweet."

Lena ruffled his hair at that, which he promptly fixed in a huff.

"I'm _totally_ asking for night-vision goggles for Christmas," Jesus said with a grin.

"Those might be a _little_ out of our price range, bud."

"Who said I was asking you and Mom? Maybe Santa will come through, a Christmas miracle."

"Maybe. So, where are they?"

"In this abandoned hospital. They say you can see patients walking around and hear their screams of terror. _Ooooooh_..." He waved his hands around.

"Oh man, your voice has me _so_ scared right now. Downright terrified."

Jesus laughed, knowing how raspy and hoarse he sounded. He couldn't scare a kitten right now.

Later on, Brandon and Mariana walked in, home from school, the latter setting her twin's make-up work on the coffee table.

" _Great_ , homework. I'm _too_ sick for that right now, Mariana. I need my rest," he insisted gravely, lying down.

Mariana went to the kitchen, noting the delicious aroma that surrounded her. "What smells so good, Mama?"

"Jesus wanted shredded beef and rice."

"Are we having that, too?"

"Yes, I'm just making his not so spicy and cooking his rice longer."

"Yay. I'm gonna go start my homework."

Mariana left her mama to finish cooking, which she kept warm until Stef could get home.

However, a text informed her that her wife would be late, so, they started without her.

"Did you guys have a good day?" Lena inquired, passing around a bowl of mixed vegetables.

"Yeah," Mariana piped up. "Jamie and I got partnered up in science. We have to make a diorama of a plant cell. So, we need to go to the craft store."

"I remember doing that. I hated it. It was annoying. We see it in the book, why do we have to make it?" Brandon chimed in rhetorically.

"When's it due?"

"Next Friday. We have to do a report, too."

"Alright. Just remind me and we'll go."

Mariana let out a little gasp. "Oh, and Jesus: you got Elliot as your partner."

He smiled. "Sweet. Guaranteed a good grade. He's like, the smartest kid in class."

Lena narrowed her eyes. "Jesus Foster, you will do your fair share and _earn_ your grade."

"Of course, Mama," he said agreeably, innocence in his tone.

Mariana just rolled her eyes.

"How about you, Brandon?" Lena wondered.

"Mr. Humble thinks I'm ready to audition for Henry Marshall."

" _Ooh_ , that piano teacher?"

"He's not just _any_ piano teacher, Mariana. He's like, one of the best in the state."

"That's great, sweetheart," Lena grinned, smoothing his back.

"What's great?" Stef wondered as she set her keys and wallet on the island, joining her family at the table.

"I might audition for Henry Marshall this year," Brandon replied, a nervous smile on his lips.

"That's awesome, B. If you want to do it, we'll support you." She kissed his head, smiling warmly.

"But, he's expensive and—"

"Ah-ah. If you audition and he decides to teach you, we will make it happen, okay? Don't worry," Lena tried to reassure him.

"How're you feeling, Jesus?" Stef asked her son as he was eating.

He shrugged.

"At least you have an appetite. Mama's cooking can do wonders. Speaking of which, I better get some before it's all gone. My, we are hungry this evening."

After dinner, Lena made rice pudding, bringing Jesus and Stef their own bowls. They were watching TV.

"Dessert, and then it's up to bed, mister."

He nodded, taking his bowl and savoring the warm, comforting sweetness. " _Mm_."

"Good?"

"Mhm."

Lena kissed the top of his head and sat down with them until Jesus went upstairs, his illness and moms calling the shots, meaning, an early bedtime.

As he lay in bed, he was getting used to the idea of surgery. His mom was right; being sick had gotten old.

* * *

 **A/N:** There will be more soon! Don't forget to review and send in ideas/requests!


	11. Jesus - strep-tonsillectomy - Ch 2

**A/N:** Here's the second bit. :)

* * *

 **Jesus (13) - strep throat/tonsillectomy**

 **Chapter 2**

 _18 days later_

 **Saturday**

Jesus' recovery from strep throat had gone according to plan, just as everyone had hoped. The antibiotics did their job, the infection cleared up, and the anti-inflammatory drugs he had taken during that time left his system.

He and his moms were now sitting in Dr. Fields' office at UCSD Medical Center, attending the pre-op appointment that Dr. Inez had arranged. A nurse brought them paperwork pertaining to Jesus' medical history to fill out and they were now getting an overview of pre-op, the procedure, and post-op expectations from the doctor.

"Jesus will be given medicine to relax before going to the OR. The tonsillectomy will take about thirty minutes."

"How long will he be in Recovery?" Lena asked.

"He should be discharged four to six hours after surgery, barring no complications."

"Like what?" Jesus wondered, slightly nervous.

"As long as there's no bleeding, your pain is controlled, and you're keeping down fluids, you can go home." The pediatric surgeon smiled. "I don't want you to worry, okay? Lots of kids have gone through this and they're fine. You're getting the best care possible; I'll make sure of it. Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"How many of these have you done?"

Dr. Fields chuckled. "About fifty."

"How long have you been a surgeon?"

"Over twenty years, before you were born. How about you, Moms? You've got an inquisitive son, here."

"He always has been," Stef said with affection, smiling at him. She then looked to her wife. "I think everything's been covered."

"Great. Okay, I will see the three of you a week from today." Dr. Fields shook their hands and the trio headed for home.

 _[][][][][][]_

 _6 days later_

 **Friday**

Lena answered the home phone when it rang before dinner.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Am I speaking with Lena Adams or Stefanie Foster?"

"I'm Lena Adams."

"Ms. Adams, I'm Shirley Jenkins, a surgical nurse at UCSD Medical Center. I'm calling to confirm that your son, Jesus Foster, is scheduled for a tonsillectomy to be performed by Dr. Gregory Fields at 11 AM tomorrow morning."

"Yes, that is correct."

"Remember that he is to fast as of midnight; nothing to eat or drink. Remember to arrive at least two hours early. The consent forms will be signed and Jesus will begin the pre-op process. He should wear loose-fitting clothing that's easy to take off and put on. Any piercings or jewelry should be removed."

"Understood."

"You also need to bring the results of Jesus' pre-op labs. Do you have any questions?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright. We'll see Jesus around 9 AM, then. Have a good evening, Ms. Adams."

"And to you, as well. Goodbye."

"Who was that?" Stef wondered, busy preparing a salad.

"That was a nurse calling to confirm Jesus' surgery, reminding us that he has to fast and when we need to be at the hospital."

"Like we'd forget about our son's operation."

Lena chuckled.

"Is dinner ready yet?" Jesus asked, entering the kitchen.

"Speak of the devil," Stef remarked to her wife. "Almost, love. You better enjoy it, because you can't eat or drink anything after midnight, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

"By this time tomorrow, you'll be home and it'll be over. Set the table, please."

Everyone sat down to eat a few minutes later.

"Mom, Jesus, and I need to be out of here before 9, so, Katherine's gonna watch you guys while we're at the hospital," Lena told her two other children.

"Cool." Mariana thought of Katherine as an older sister; she liked when she came over.

Brandon groaned. "I'm fourteen. I don't need a babysitter."

"We are not leaving you and your sister home alone."

"Do we need to remind you what happened a few months ago?" Stef asked him pointedly.

Lena was at an organizational leadership conference in San Francisco when Stef decided to make a quick run to the store. When she returned fifteen minutes later, she found the inside of the microwave caked in colored marshmallow (an 'accident' involving Peeps) and her children sliding headfirst down the stairs on pillows.

"We'll already have one child in the hospital, we don't need more."

"I'd rather be at home, so, you're lucky," Jesus added, stabbing at his pork chop.

"This is gonna fix you up, Zeus. Just think: less sore throats, strep tests, make-up work. We all know how much you _love_ that."

Jesus hated homework as it was; having to catch up to his classmates while recovering made it worse.

"I really hope so."

 _[][][][][][]_

Stef and Lena sent everyone to bed early that night, Jesus, most importantly. He needed to be well-rested for what was to come the next morning.

The teen had trouble falling asleep. The closer the surgery got, the more anxious Jesus became.

The white noise of crashing waves or crickets chirping didn't help that night. They usually kept him calm.

Sighing, he got out of bed and went across the hall.

"Moms?" he said into the darkness of their room.

Lena stirred. "Jesus? What is it?"

"I can't sleep."

"You nervous?"

"A-A little. I guess."

Lena flicked on the lamp and saw that it was after 11.

"What's going on?" a groggy voice asked.

"Jesus can't sleep."

"Come here," Stef said, sitting up. "What's on your mind?"

Jesus walked closer. "It's just...what if something goes wrong? What if Dr. Fields makes a mistake? What if the surgery doesn't work? What if I don't _wake up_?"

"Jesus, nothing is going to go wrong. This is a common and safe procedure. You heard Dr. Fields; he's helped a lot of kids. Dr. C would not have recommended him if he wasn't the absolute best, right?" Lena said.

He nodded.

"You trust Mama and me? That we know what's best for you and that we wouldn't ever put you in harm's way?" Stef wished to confirm.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. Anything else?"

Jesus shook his head.

"Now, you need to get some sleep, baby. We've got a big day ahead. Try to relax. Lie down, clear your mind, and close your eyes."

"Okay."

"We love you, sweetheart," Lena told him.

"Love you, too."

Jesus went back to his room, reassured and less fearful. Following his mom's advice, he had an easier time falling asleep.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Saturday**

 _D-Day - Day 0_

" _Mm_... _bacon_. I _love_ it. Don't you, Jesus? Oh, what am I going to do with most of this to myself?"

He groaned as Brandon taunted him with his breakfast. He felt so hungry and it smelled so good...maybe just a little nibble...

"Hey!" Stef slapped his hand away from the plate of bacon. "What part of 'fasting after midnight' do you not understand?"

"But, I'm _hungry_ , Mom."

"Go in the living room. You'll be less tempted."

" _Ha-ha_ ," Brandon smirked.

"Brandon, cool it," Stef warned him.

Jesus sulked away from the table, but not before giving his brother a shove.

"Hey!"

"Jesus, that goes for you, too."

"Whatever," he sighed with attitude.

Stef looked to Lena. Jesus was more aggressive when he didn't take his ADHD medication; it would be a few more days, at least, until he could go back on them. They would just have to manage any outbursts that came along as best they could.

Jesus tried to distract himself with the TV. It helped a little.

Mariana came downstairs and sat next to him.

"Are you scared?"

"A little. I mean, I'm being cut open."

"You'll be okay. You're tough." She paused, wishing to elaborate. "I thought nothing could ever scare you. When Ana would leave, you always took care of me. I don't know if I ever thanked you."

"You don't have to. I'm your brother."

"The best."

Mariana lay her head on his shoulder, for her own comfort as much his.

Jesus returned it, the twins watching the screen in silence.

They didn't notice that Lena snapped a photo.

They stayed like that until Katherine, their usual babysitter, arrived at 8:30.

The high school senior entered the house after Lena let her in. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Katherine," Mariana greeted her.

Jesus echoed the same.

"Jesus, it's time to go," Lena told him.

He begrudgingly rose from the couch.

"Brandon, we're leaving. Come say bye to your brother."

Stef followed Brandon into the living room.

They hugged.

"Good luck, Zeus."

"Thanks, B."

He and Mariana had a moment and his twin, the emotional one, got a little worked up.

"It's just his tonsils, honey. We'll be home later today," Lena soothed her.

"I know," she sighed, sniffling a little.

"Alright, let's get a move on," Stef said, going to the front door. "Let's try to avoid any delays, shall we?"

Katherine and Jesus hugged as well before he and his moms got in the car and drove to the hospital.

 _[][][][][][]_

Soon after arriving, Stef and Lena signed Jesus in and his surgical consent forms, getting things rolling.

They were brought to a private room.

Jesus' nurse, Fran, introduced herself, then confirmed his name and procedure.

"Jesus Foster, here for a tonsillectomy to be performed by Dr. Fields?"

"That's me."

She gave him a hospital gown to change into and helped him tie it closed.

Stef whistled at him when he emerged from the bathroom, clad in his boxers, the gown, and hospital-issued socks.

Flustered and embarrassed, he turned red as he got in bed.

"Do you need anything?" Fran asked him after she took his vitals.

"A cheeseburger and fries would be great. A milkshake, too."

Fran laughed. "No can do, Jesus. You are NPO. Dr. Fields did say you can have a bit of ice chips; enough to moisten your mouth, okay?"

He nodded, taking his mama's iPad out of his bag to keep him occupied and take his mind off of his growling stomach.

The three of them watched TV and tried to pass the time until it was time for Jesus to go to the pre-op room.

His anxieties crept back in. "Moms, maybe this isn't such a good idea. I don't think I need this, really. I feel fine now."

Stef rubbed his shoulder. "It's okay, love. You're gonna feel nice and relaxed in just a few minutes. Just breathe."

"You can go to pre-op with him," Fran informed them.

A couple of orderlies wheeled Jesus to pre-op where they took more vitals, gave him a surgical cap to cover his hair, and administered relaxing medicine through an IV.

He didn't feel scared anymore, just calm and sort of floaty.

The orderlies returned to take Jesus to the operating room. "Dr. Fields is ready for him."

Stef kissed his forehead. "I love you, baby. Mama and I will be there when you wake up."

"'Kay, Mom."

Lena did the same. "You're gonna be fine, sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mama."

Lena nodded and they wheeled Jesus out of the room and down the hall where the team of doctors and nurses waited for him.

Stef and Lena went to the waiting area. Lena sat down, picking up a magazine, and Stef, being Stef, was too wired to do so. She was the more anxious one when the kids were sick or hurt. She paced the floor, sometimes pausing to look up at the TV.

After forty-five minutes, Dr. Fields informed them that Jesus' surgery was a success and that they could see him in Recovery shortly.

Stef and Lena hugged, ready to get their son home and on the road to healing.

* * *

 **A/N:** As you can see, this is a three-parter. I'd love to know your thoughts or any requests you guys have.


	12. Jesus - strep-tonsillectomy - Ch 3

**A/N:** Okay, so, after I last updated, my muse died on me. Sorry, peeps. It is slowly returning.

Here's this last part, finally. Hope you like.

* * *

 **Jesus (13) - strep throat/tonsillectomy**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Saturday**

 _Day 0 - 5:17 PM_

"Alright, we're home," said Lena as she opened the front door, letting Jesus and Stef in first.

Brandon, Mariana, and Katherine joined them in the foyer.

"Holy crap, dude. Your face," gawked Brandon.

Jesus' lower half was swollen; he had an ice pack bandaged around his chin. As much as he wanted to respond, he knew that trying to talk was a bad idea.

Instead, he started toward the stairs, his moms following him. He just wanted to lie down.

He did, onto his back, mostly sitting up.

"Are you gonna try to sleep?" Stef wondered.

Jesus gave the slightest of nods. He'd been given more pain meds before being discharged, which made him feel out of it.

"Okay. We'll try some meds and fluids when you wake up."

Lena turned on the humidifier for him so that his mouth and throat wouldn't dry out while he slept.

"If you need me to come over again to watch Jesus, I'd be fine with that," Katherine said as Lena handed her money.

"Great. We'll let you know."

"I'm gonna get home. Bye, Mariana. Bye, Brandon."

"Bye."

"See ya."

Once Katherine left, the four of them had sandwiches for dinner, something quick and easy. It had been a long day and there were going to be challenges ahead in keeping Jesus as comfortable and pain-free as possible.

Brandon snickered at the baby monitor that Stef placed on the counter.

"That's for Jesus?" he chuckled.

"So we can hear when he's awake. He's still too out of it to text us." She turned it on and could hear his heavy, even breaths.

After they ate, Brandon and Mariana went to their rooms and Stef and Lena relaxed with some TV, taking the monitor with them to the living room.

Jesus woke up after 8, more coherent, but feeling sore as the medicine was wearing off.

Stef and Lena knew that it was important for them to stay ahead of the pain instead of waiting for symptoms to appear.

They decided to follow the doctor's advice and alternate doses of liquid acetaminophen and liquid ibuprofen every three hours as long as Jesus was awake.

They brought him the medicine and water to try first, along with some crushed ice.

Jesus couldn't open his mouth very widely, but he was able to swallow the pain medication, even though it hurt.

He tried a few small sips of water, but preferred the ice, letting it melt in his mouth before attempting to swallow.

"Good, Jesus. Good," Lena said, taking the empty cup from him.

Keeping Jesus hydrated would lessen his pain and help him heal faster. They had to make sure to stay on top of his fluid intake.

"Can we get you anything else?" Stef asked him.

Jesus looked down to his feet and wiggled his toes.

"Some socks? Sure thing."

Stef found a pair of thick socks in Jesus' dresser and put them on his bare feet.

"Better?"

Jesus nodded.

"Just rest. That's your only job right now. Text us if you need us."

Jesus gave them a thumbs-up and closed his eyes.

"So far, so good," Lena sighed as the two of them went back downstairs.

They checked on him before they went to bed about an hour later, early for a Saturday night.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Sunday**

 _Day 1 - 12:08 AM_

A text to Stef's phone woke them around midnight.

She went to Jesus' room to give him medicine, the ibuprofen this time.

"How's your pain, bud?"

He held up five fingers.

"Not too bad, right?"

He shook his head.

"Good. Have some more water."

 _ice_ , he texted her.

Stef obliged him, bringing him some from the kitchen and going back to bed.

Jesus was awake again by 4, in considerably more pain. His whimpers could be heard over the monitor.

Stef went to him.

"What hurts, Zeus?"

 _t_ _hroat_. _hurts to swallow. this sucks_.

"I bet it does. We're gonna do our best to manage it."

After giving Jesus his medicine, Stef refilled the water compartment of the humidifier, making sure that it would keep running all night.

"Is the humidifier helping?"

He nodded.

"Good."

Jesus had a harder time falling back to sleep, the pain exhausting him, but keeping him awake. He felt so uncomfortable.

Stef could hear him changing positions over the monitor and hoped he'd be sleeping again soon.

His medicine kicked in and he slept, although fitfully, until 7.

Lena let Stef sleep, tending to Jesus, whose comfort level was about the same.

She and Stef decided to sleep in, knowing Brandon and Mariana could make their own breakfast.

When they got up around 10, Jesus was still asleep.

"Thank you for being quiet," Lena said to her son and daughter who were watching TV in the living room.

"Jesus is gonna be sleeping a lot; you told us, like, a thousand times," Brandon shrugged.

"We're not _that_ mean, Mama. Plus, you'd ground us until forever," Mariana agreed.

"A week, maybe," she smirked.

"Forever, if Mom had her way."

"Watch it, Miss Thing," Stef said, not truly serious, as she passed through on her way to the kitchen.

 _[][][][][][]_

"Mariana, will you go check on your brother, please? See if he's up."

It was almost noon and Jesus hadn't sent any texts or any indication that he was awake. This was the longest he'd been out since the surgery.

She got up from the couch and did what her mama asked, quietly.

She softly pushed Jesus' door open to find him curled on to his side, eyes squeezed shut, exhaling slow, controlled breaths, in clear discomfort.

"Zeus? You okay?"

When he didn't answer, she asked, "Want me to get Moms?"

He nodded, strong.

"Moms, Jesus needs you," she informed them once she went back downstairs.

"Is it the pain, honey?" Lena wondered.

A nod.

Stef noticed how her son's face had paled. "Do you feel sick to your stomach?"

Another nod.

"Do you feel like you're gonna throw up?"

He whimpered, which they took to mean 'yes.'

Lena brought a trash can closer to his head, should he need it.

"Wanna try some ginger ale? I could make tea and cool it down."

Jesus nodded, willing to try anything to stop the somersaults his stomach insisted on performing.

"Okay. I'll bring ice, too."

Lena left for the kitchen and Stef stayed, doing what she could to soothe him.

"Mama will be right back. Try to relax."

She pulled his desk chair over and sat with him, rubbing his back.

The stomach gymnastics won this round and Stef placed the can under her son's chin.

He had nothing to throw up except a bit of water and acid, but, his lurching insides didn't receive that message.

Jesus couldn't decide what was worse, between the pain, exhaustion, or embarrassment he felt in that moment.

He tried to cry quietly; any noise would make things worse. Vomiting had stretched his mouth beyond what he could tolerate and the healing tissue was extremely sensitive.

"Shhh, shhh. It's alright, Zeus." Stef kissed his head. "I know that hurts, babe. I'm sorry."

Jesus was back to lying in an almost fetal position, trying as hard as he could to ignore his pain, and wishing his mama would hurry up so he could have his medicine and pass out again.

"Did you throw up, Jesus?" Lena asked him as she brought in some ginger tea.

He nodded.

"I made you some tea. Let's see if it helps your nausea."

He sat up and took the cup from her, taking a few tentative sips.

"Is it cool enough?"

Jesus gave a thumbs-up.

"How's your stomach feel now, champ?" Stef wondered after Jesus drank most of it.

 _better._

"Good."

 _thanks mama_.

"You're welcome, honey. Do you need anything else?"

He shook his head and lay back down.

 _[][][][][][]_

"Special delivery for Jesus Foster," Stef said later, walking in and placing a cooler of crushed ice next to his bed. She'd made a run to the store.

 _great, thanks mom_.

"No problem, love. I hope that'll last you awhile," she chuckled. "Get some rest, okay?"

To her surprise, Jesus let her tuck him in, like she would when he was younger as part of his bedtime routine. She pulled up his covers.

"All snug?"

He nodded.

"Love you, sweet boy."

Stef smoothed his hair and went downstairs.

Lena joined her wife in the kitchen as she was making coffee, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek.

"What's that for?" Stef wondered, smiling.

"Do I need a reason?"

"If I did something good, I wanna know what it is so I can keep the rewards coming."

Lena chuckled. She'd seen Stef with Jesus earlier. "I love you, that's all." At times like this, her wife possessed a reserve of patience and tenderness that made her heart swell. Stef could be rigid, but she was always there for her and the kids.

"I love you, too."

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Wednesday**

 _Day 4 - 4:55 PM_

Much of Jesus' first days of recovery were spent sleeping, managing his pain, and going to the bathroom and back to bed.

Right now, he was waiting on his mama to bring him some macaroni and cheese to try with his ibuprofen. He felt so hungry for some semblance of real food, growing tired of pudding and applesauce.

And like an angel, Lena appeared, bowl in-hand.

"Take your time, alright?"

Jesus nodded as he spooned a bit of the yellow noodles into his mouth. They were very soft and tasted funny, but so did everything else these days. But they also tasted like cheese, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Good?"

He swallowed a bit painfully, and then croaked out, "Yeah."

It was rough and high-pitched, but Lena was glad to hear her son's voice again.

Jesus had to restrain himself from shoveling the food in, setting the empty bowl aside and scooping some crushed ice as his mama poured him some pain medication.

Down the hatch it went. He sucked on some ice and had just picked up a new comic book when the front door opened. Someone came upstairs.

"And look what we have here. These are for you."

Stef brought the bouquet of blue, green and red flowers to Jesus, setting them next to his bed.

"There's a card. See who they're from."

He plucked it out and opened it.

 _Zeus,_

 _We're so glad your surgery went well. You'll be back to skating in no time._

 _All our love,_

 _Gram and Gramps_

"And there's _something else_ ," Stef sang, going into the hallway and carrying in a brand new skateboard.

Jesus' face lit up. He looked at it from all angles; its design matched the colors of his flowers.

Stef and Lena looked at each other and smiled. This was a perfect pick-me-up to lift his spirits.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"It's awesome."

"There's that voice I've missed so much," Stef remarked with a kiss to Jesus' head.

"You're going to send your grandparents a nice thank you card," Lena told him.

Stef put the skateboard against the wall and spied the empty bowl on her son's bedside table. "I see you had something to eat."

"Macaroni and cheese," Lena answered for him.

"And it went down okay?"

"Mhm."

"Can we get you something else?"

"A popsicle," he said, wanting something besides ice.

' _This recovery deal isn't too bad_ ,' he thought.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Thursday**

 _Day 5 - 1:03 AM_

Jesus had never been more wrong than when he woke up at 1 AM.

His entire head hurt. His jaw and ears ached, and he felt like his throat was on fire.

Jesus clumsily hit his call log and hoped he tapped on either of his moms' numbers. He whimpered into the receiver.

"I'm coming, hon," Lena said after she answered, groggy.

Jesus hung up and Lena entered his room.

"What's wrong?"

 _throat hurts really bad, jaw, ears. they feel plugged._

"Like an ache?"

He nodded.

Lena felt his forehead, just to make sure this wasn't a post-op infection presenting itself.

"You don't have a fever."

 _dont feel sick, just pain._

A quick Google search told her that referred ear aches after a tonsillectomy were not uncommon. He'd just have to ride it out.

"Well, according to Google, your ear pain seems to be pretty common."

Jesus frowned a little.

"Wanna try some ice?"

He shook his head.

"It's too soon for more meds, so, numbing is about your only option right now, bud."

Jesus huffed, sitting up begrudgingly. Lena went to the kitchen and brought him a spoon before scooping him some ice.

His jaw throbbed as he attempted to open his mouth; he quickly gave up.

"No dice, huh?"

Jesus set the cup aside and lay down again.

Lena reached to touch his arm, but he shrugged her off.

He was angry. He didn't understand. He was feeling better. Was this supposed to be such a roller coaster? He could finally sort of eat and this was how his body thanked him?

And now, he'd rejected his mama's comfort. He'd woken her up just to make her mad.

But Lena's reaction surprised him.

She turned on his white noise machine, and sat down on his carpet. "Deep breaths, Zeus. Breathe. Just listen. Close your eyes, if it'll help."

Jesus obeyed, trying to focus on his breathing.

It took some time, but his eyes began to get heavy.

Once Jesus dozed off, Lena grabbed a spare blanket and pillow from the closet and decided to sleep on his floor, stiff neck be damned.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Sunday**

 _Day 7 - 6:40 PM_

Mariana looked at her twin with envy as he happily sucked down a chocolate milkshake, a staple in his diet as of late.

"Maybe I should get my tonsils out. Unlimited milkshakes seems like a fair trade-off."

Jesus had turned a corner in his recovery. His pain a few nights ago was all but forgotten, his body's final stand against the healing process.

"No way, Mariana. You think you're okay, and then, it's like, _bam_. Everything hurts. You can't swallow, you can't talk. On second thought, maybe that's not such a bad thing..."

Mariana swatted at him as he laughed.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope this doesn't disappoint any of you and I hope my writing motivation returns in full so I can post more of these. I have a few Callie ones written, but I'm trying not to post those and give you guys some variety. lol


	13. Brandon - ear & sinus infection

**A/N:** I wasn't expecting to have another one of these ready for you guys so soon, but I'm sure you don't mind. I've had this idea written down for awhile and finally cranked it out in a few hours. Hope you like.

* * *

 **Brandon (6) - ear/sinus infection**

 _2003_

 **Thursday**

"Rawlings! Where is page three of the Locke case?" Stef asked her partner, walking up to his desk.

"Hell if I know, Stef."

She sighed.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere," he shrugged.

"I can't finish an incomplete file."

"It's not like I'm hiding it or something. I'll look around for it."

"I'd appreciate it."

Stef went back to her desk, hissing and rubbing her hip as she sat down. She decided to work on a different case from her stack to keep busy.

"Stefanie Foster?"

She looked up to see a young man carrying a messenger bag. "Who wants to know?"

"Are you Stefanie Foster?"

"Yes."

He pulled out an envelope and set it on her desk. "You've been served."

Stunned, the man walked out and Stef saw that the subpoena was from Mike's lawyer.

With a scoff, she tore it open and quickly scanned its contents.

Her stomach sank like a rock.

She and Mike were already involved in what was turning into a nasty divorce, but now, Mike was suing for full custody of Brandon, claiming that she was an unfit parent.

"I can't believe this," Stef whispered out loud.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.

"What'd you do now, Foster?" Rawlings asked her.

She gestured to the papers in front of her. "Read it and weep."

"He can't be serious. This has to be a joke. You? Unfit? That's crazy."

"Just when I think nothing can surprise me anymore," she sighed.

"What are you gonna do?"

Just then, Stef saw Mike walk into his section of the station.

"Pay a special someone a visit," she said through gritted teeth, standing and making a beeline for Mike's desk.

"You had me served _at work_ , Mike? _Really_?"

"Good to see you, too, Stef."

"You have a lot of nerve."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, you do."

"Because I'm doing what's best for my son?"

"Yeah, right. What is this? Some kind of revenge tactic because I dumped your sorry ass? Brandon is not a pawn in some chess game; he's a little boy."

"Speaking of, I wanna take him for the night."

"Oh-ho, no. He's not going anywhere. Not with you."

"You can't keep him from me, Stef. The judge ruled for joint custody during proceedings."

"The hell I can't. You're still drinking."

"What I do on my own time is my business."

Stef scoffed. "You have a problem, Mike."

"Have I ever come to work drunk?"

Stef narrowed her eyes. "Wow. That's a pretty low bar you're setting, there."

"I'll take him to dinner and bring him back."

"I said he's not going with you."

"Give me one good reason why."

"Even if I'd let you take Brandon, he's not well enough to go anywhere. He's sick."

"Sick? Is that your new excuse?"

Stef glared, her eyes hard as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, sick. If you ever bothered to come over or call, you'd know that."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Last week, he had a cold that wasn't getting better. And now, it's a lovely double ear/sinus infection. Come on over, see for yourself."

"Is _she_ with him?" Mike sneered.

"Yes, _Lena_ is home with him. It's much easier for her to work from home as opposed to me. She took him to the doctor this morning."

"Well, I wanna see him when he's better."

"He'd like that. He misses you, though, I can't imagine why."

"I'm his father."

"Yes, unfortunately."

And with that, Stef walked away, knowing she was only wasting her breath.

 _[][][][][][]_

"I'm home!" Stef called out as she shut the front door.

Brandon walked up to her, coming from the kitchen.

"Hey, bud. How are you feeling?"

"Yucky."

"Yeah?" She picked him up and kissed his forehead. "Poor bub, still warm."

"Uh-huh." He let his head fall against her shoulder.

Lena came downstairs. "Hey, babe."

"Hi."

They shared a quick kiss before Lena smoothed Brandon's hair. "No sleeping yet, Brandon. You've gotta take your medicine first."

"I'll do it," Stef volunteered, carrying him into the kitchen. She set him down on a stool at the table and retrieved a spoon along with his bubble gum-flavored amoxicillin from the refrigerator, giving it a shake.

"Alright, B. This will just take a second, open up," Stef said as she poured the first teaspoon.

He shook his head. "Uh-uh."

Stef was not in the mood to mess around. "Please, Brandon. You had some earlier. You know it doesn't taste bad."

"I don't want it!"

"Brandon..."

"No!"

Stef moved the spoon closer to his mouth, and that was her downfall.

Time seemed to slow down as Brandon swiped his arm at hers, dumping the pink medicine and sending the spoon flying as it clattered to the floor.

If this were a cartoon, Stef's ears would have been steaming. She was livid. This was the last straw.

Brandon looked shocked, then, quickly near tears and remorseful.

"What hap—"

The only sound heard was the amoxicillin dripping onto the floor.

"Could you...?" Stef asked Lena, surprisingly calm, and walked out the back door, not waiting for a response.

Huffing with anger, Stef went to the garage, gloved up, and began hitting the punching bag as hard as she could, pretending it was Mike's face.

Exhausted, Stef sat alone until Lena entered.

"I cleaned up and sent Brandon to his room."

Stef looked up, grateful.

"There was just enough left for tonight's dose. I'll call and get another prescription."

"Thank you," the blonde exhaled.

Lena sat down next to her. "You alright?"

"Peachy," Stef mumbled, standing. "Ah! Son of a—" Grimacing, she placed a hand just below her right hip.

"Are you hurt?" Lena asked, going to her and wishing to move her hand.

"I'm fine," she insisted, walking away from her.

"What happened?"

"I fell during a chase. It's just a bruise," the cop added when she saw her lover's concerned expression. "Besides, that wasn't even the worst part of my day," she confessed bitterly. "A messenger served me papers from Mike's lawyer. He's...he's suing for full custody of Brandon."

Stef was near tears and allowed Lena to get close. "On what grounds?"

"That I'm an unfit mother. An unfit mother who's been there for him every day since he was born."

"He has no case."

"Who knows?"

" _I_ know. Stef, you're not perfect, but you do your best. I know you're stressed out. You could've let your temper get the best of you in there, but you kept it together long enough so you wouldn't upset Brandon."

Stef scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Big deal."

"It is."

"There's that and the divorce and Brandon's sick and being difficult and..." She trailed off. "Maybe he hates me. I've broken up the only family he's ever known."

"Stef, Brandon does not hate you. He's just missed you, that's all. He's fallen asleep before you could get home most nights this week. Frankly, I think he's grown a bit sick of me. He needs some 'mom' time."

"Maybe my dad's right. Maybe _Mike's_ right. Maybe...maybe this is wrong."

"Stef..."

"Am I confusing Brandon? Am I confused? Is this a mistake? I—"

"Stefanie. Stef, I love you. And I know you love me. You can't let anyone get in your head. Forget them. This isn't wrong. It is _not_. Life has never been more right since I met you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You, Brandon, and me, we're a family, and I dare anyone to tell me otherwise. We'll get through this together, right? You and me?"

Stef finally looked up. "Sounds good to me." She gave a watery smile.

 _[][][][][][]_

"B? Are you awake, baby?" Stef wondered softly as she tapped on his door frame.

He was sitting up and turned to look at her. "I'm not asleep, Mommy."

"Good, because we need to have a talk." She entered and knelt beside her son's bed. "Do you understand why Lena told you to go to your room?"

Brandon hung his head. "I was bad. I spilled my medicine. I didn't listen."

"Yes, you did those things, but you weren't bad, Brandon. You're a good boy. It was an accident."

"I should have drinked my medicine when you said so. I'm sorry."

Stef smoothed his hair repeatedly. "I forgive you. Mommy needs to apologize, too, buddy. I didn't have a very good day and I wasn't patient with you. That's something I need to be better at. Do you forgive me?"

Brandon nodded.

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Suddenly, he reached for the tissues and sneezed. " _Ow_. That hurts, Mommy," he sniffled, in tears. "And my ears," he hiccuped as they throbbed and ached.

Stef moved to kiss his temple. Sneezing worsened his sinus pressure and ear pain. "I know, baby. You're gonna be better really soon. Now, I know it hurts, but you need to get those ickies out, remember?"

He nodded.

She snagged a couple more Kleenex for him, throwing the first one away. "Blow nice and slow, okay? Take your time."

Brandon did so without much complaint.

"Very good job, B. Let's try some ear drops. They should help them not hurt so much."

Stef administered the drops and let Brandon sit up again.

"Can I have water, please?"

"Yes. Thank you for asking nicely."

Stef brought him some, which he drank greedily.

"You sure were thirsty. Would you like more?"

"That's okay."

"Do you wanna try to sleep now?"

Brandon nodded. "I'm really tired."

Stef pulled back his covers and tucked him in.

"All comfy cozy?"

"Yeah."

Stef kissed his head. "Sweet dreams."

"G'night, Mommy."

She turned off Brandon's light and left his door cracked.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Friday**

After dinner, Stef soaked her sore hip in a hot bath, letting her tense and stressful day drift to the back of her mind. Following Brandon's lead, she and Lena went to bed early.

"Mommy...Lena..."

The two of them stirred as Brandon's voice floated closer until he was standing next to their bed.

"What is it, bud?" Lena wondered, flicking on her lamp. Stef sat up as well, noticing that it was after two o'clock.

"I hurt."

He was shaking with chills, his feverish eyes giving away his discomfort.

"Is it your ears?"

"Everywhere."

"Okay," Lena said, "Tylenol for you." She got out of bed and brought it from their adjoining bathroom.

After she felt his forehead, Brandon obediently swallowed the medicine.

"Can I sleep with you?" he asked Stef.

"Of course, love. Come on." She waved him over.

Brandon climbed in and nestled between his moms, feeling safe and loved.

Stef looked to her son and then to Lena, who had her arm wrapped protectively around him. As long as she had them by her side, she could win any battle.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this one was a bit different in that Brandon's illness was used as part of a larger plot. I really like how it turned out.

There will be more soon.


	14. Lena - cold - from Ch 6

**A/N:** I ended up adding on to that short Lena bit from Chapter 6. I PROMISE that she'll get a real chapter, hopefully soon; I have the perfect subject/illness for her with all of the Stef caretaking/Moms things...ooh, and one with just Mariana, I've realized that she doesn't have one yet. Now, that my writing mojo is back in mostly full-swing, I'm hoping to crank out a bunch of these.

* * *

 **Lena - cold (continuation of Chapter 6)**

 **Thursday**

"Hey, guys. Pizza's here," Stef announced as she walked in the front door with two boxes in her arms.

Jesus was the first one downstairs. "I'll get those, Mom."

"Why, thank you."

He took them in to the kitchen. Mariana and Callie set their homework aside.

"Is Mama upstairs?"

"Yeah. She seemed beat," Mariana said as she followed her sister to get some food.

"I'm gonna go check on her. There better be some pizza left when I get back, or so help me..." she threatened, knowing it was every person for themselves when it came to meals.

Stef climbed the stairs and pushed her bedroom door, which had been left ajar. She found her wife sleeping, snoring.

Stef walked over to the bed and observed Lena's features. Eyebrows furrowed, exhaustion clear under her eyes. She hadn't slept well all week, despite taking medicine at bedtime. Compounded with being busy preparing for parent/teacher conferences, her ailing body now finally surrendered to rest.

Stef kissed Lena's hairline and cleared her nightstand of used tissues and bottles of medicine. After leaving their bathroom, she heard her wife begin to stir.

"Mm...Stef?"

"No, no, no. Go back to sleep, honey," Stef practically begged, pissed that she was awake.

"Hi."

"Hi, love. Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"It was great. I loved it."

Stef could only smile.

"Did you bring pizza home?"

"As promised. How are you?"

"I think I'm dead. Is this what it's supposed to feel like?"

"Maybe, when you're sick and running on fumes for most of the week. You're _not_ going in tomorrow, right?" she asked, prepared to fight her on this.

"Ugh, no. I already talked to Monte. I'm off the hook."

"Glad to hear it."

Lena began to cough and only stopped when Stef got her some water.

"That, not so much." She felt the brunette's forehead and cheek. "You have a fever."

"I just need some rest. I'll be fine come Monday."

"Of course you will. Some TLC will do you good. Can I get you anything?"

"No," Lena replied, lying back down.

"Sleep, babe. I'll make sure everyone keeps the noise down."

"Alright." She closed her eyes.

Stef left her to join her brood for dinner where pizza awaited her.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I can almost picture an exhausted Lena saying, _"I think I'm dead. Is this what it's supposed to feel like?"_ It makes me chuckle.

Okay, so, the truth is, I have like no other installments completed besides Callie and Stef (they're my faves, I can't help it), so, I'm gonna post another Callie one. But I can't decide which one, so, go to my profile and vote until Wednesday, 12/7. Let me know! :)


	15. Callie - fever-virus (4A)

**A/N:** This won the poll by one vote; they all count! Thanks for participating.

This is set during 04x04 - "Now for Then." Enjoy.

* * *

 _Readers' Choice_

 **Callie - fever/virus**

 _AJ and I head upstairs into my old bedroom. I look around._

 _My breath catches in my throat. It looks exactly the same._

 _Nothing's changed from the day I left._

 _I start snapping photos. The walls, the dresser, the bed. I lay on it to get shots from the inside of the sheer curtain that hangs over it._

 _Suddenly, the mood of the room changes. AJ's gone. Where did he go?_

 _The sun is setting and darkness floods in. The door is cracked and the hall light is on._

 _I see that a shadow is coming closer until someone stops in the doorway._

 _He starts to walk toward the bed._

 _"Hey, Callie."_

 ** _Liam._**

I gasp awake, my eyes flying open. I take quiet breaths, careful not to wake Mariana.

I check the time on my phone and see that it's barely midnight.

Rolling over, I try to forget what I just dreamed and go back to sleep.

 _AJ and I are in the Olmsteads' living room, sitting down with Liam's mom, my former foster mom._

 _"I'm at an age when you tend to reflect back on the mistakes you've made in life. The mistakes that have haunted me the most are the ones I made with you, Callie. You have no idea how sorry I am."_

 _Wow, is she really about to say it?_

 _"Sorry we ever brought you into this house and allowed you to destroy our lives."_

 _I try not to show how much that stings._

 _Her words echo over and over._

 _ **Sorry we ever brought you into this house and allowed you to destroy our lives.**_

 ** _Sorry we ever brought you into this house..._**

 ** _Sorry..._**

 ** _Destroy..._**

 _ **Destroy...**_

I'm awake again. It's after 3:30 now.

I sit up, run my hands over my face, and exhale.

I stay like this for a few minutes before lying back down.

Since going there yesterday, Liam and the Olmstead house haven't left my thoughts at all.

I guess it was stupid of me to think that stopping there wouldn't trigger anything.

After falling back to sleep again, for the first time all night, I don't dream of anything.

And yet, I'm staring at the time. 5.

Frustrated and hot, I get out of bed to splash water on my face.

I don't have to be up for school for a couple more hours.

I must have managed to doze off, because I'm rolling over to shut off my alarm.

Well-rested is the last thing I feel as I go brush my teeth and get dressed. There's a throbbing ache behind my right eye.

The only person I beat downstairs is Mariana; everyone else is already eating.

"Good morning, Callie," Mama greets me.

"Hey," I mumble as I reach for the cereal, with no real appetite to speak of.

"Did you sleep okay?" Mom wonders.

"Mhm," I hum, pouring milk into my bowl.

I start to eat and hope that my slow progress gets lost in the chaos that is weekday mornings in our kitchen, which is nothing new.

Lightheaded, I'm the last one to take my dishes to the sink and Mom's quick reaction saves me from colliding face-first into a stool near the island.

"Whoa. Callie, are you alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," I say, a bit dazed.

I don't see the concerned look Mama gives Mom as she walks up beside me and touches my forehead, then, my cheek.

"You're warm."

I make a half-hearted attempt to brush her off.

"I'm okay, really." I'm not sure who I'm trying to convince, myself or her.

"I think you're sick and you need to stay home today."

Mama is gentle, but firm.

I don't have it in me to argue since I honestly _don't_ feel well, so, I abandon my school bag and go back upstairs to change.

There's a knock at the door.

"Yeah?"

Mom enters.

"I drew the short straw, so, I'm gonna stay home with you."

"That's okay. Go to work, I'll be fine," I insist, just planning to sleep whatever this sickness is away. I really don't need her to stick around.

"Cal, I'm off today. Besides, there's nowhere I'd rather be." She smiles a bit, sympathetic. "You really _are_ sick, aren't you?"

It's true; this fever is throwing me off my game. I didn't even realize she wasn't in her uniform.

We hear the front door close as everyone else leaves for the day.

Mom feels my face. "Mama's right, you're warm."

She kisses my head, then, retrieves the thermometer and Tylenol from her bathroom.

My temperature is 101.3. I feel hotter than that. And tired.

I take some medicine, follow Mom back downstairs, and lie down on the couch.

She comes over and drapes a blanket over me.

"You need anything, sweets?"

I shake my head, eyes closed.

"Okay. I'll be here." She smooths my hair and goes to the kitchen.

I fall asleep pretty quickly, my temperature and fatigue wearing me out.

Sleep proves to be as pointless as last night, with me dreaming the same dreams: the Olmstead house, his mom, and Liam.

Only, this time, when I wake up, Mom's here, looking down at me.

"Callie, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I breathe, willing myself to calm down. I feel myself breaking out in a sweat.

"Bad dreams?" she guesses.

I nod, sitting up.

She sits down and wraps an arm around me. "Wanna talk about it?"

I want to keep it to myself, but, then, I remember what Moms and I talked about, about trust. I could trust them. I had to start trying.

"AJ and I went to some of my old foster homes yesterday, to take pictures for my senior project. One of them was the Olmsteads'."

"How'd it go?"

"It was okay, at first. I took exterior shots and decided to get closer."

Mom just gives me a _look_ at the mention of us trespassing.

"Liam's mom came home and saw us. She told me to come in."

"What happened?"

"Oh, just telling me how she and Liam's dad are divorcing because Liam's in prison, not believing he's a rapist or a thief, and that she's sorry she ever brought me into their lives, her biggest regret. And I said the same."

Without meaning to, I crack, starting to cry. This damn fever is screwing with my emotions. But I'm more pissed than anything else, because she's not worth my tears.

Mom hugs me to her side. "My love," she murmurs, her lips against my temple, and I let myself be held for awhile, in contrast to holding myself up, alone.

"I went up to my old bedroom and it was like a time capsule. Everything was the same," I tell her after I've collected myself. "The same as that night."

"Yeah?"

"It felt different, though. I mean, it was a little scary, but it was sort of empowering. I'm not that girl anymore, I'm not _there_ anymore."

"No, you're not and you never have to be again. I'm _so_ proud of you, you know that?" She gives me a squeeze. "Facing your past head-on like this. Handling yourself with Liam's mom. You know that's not true, what she said, right?"

I nod, looking down.

"And Mama and I will never, ever, _ever_ regret bringing you home. You kids are our greatest joy. We're a family, forever, yes?"

I nod again, this time, looking up.

"Let's get you a drink. Mama will have a fit if I don't keep you hydrated."

I start to get up with her, but she gently pushes me back on to the cushions.

"No, no. Stay there. I'll get it."

"Really, I can—"

"I know. Let me wait on you."

Then, it occurs to me that this is the first time I've been sick since coming here about a year and a half ago.

So, I sit back and take the glass of ice water that Mom hands me.

"I know you like it cold."

I drink some, feeling like it's taking everything in me to sit upright and raise it to my lips.

Ugh, I'm so hot. I can feel my face get warmer, almost like my blood is boiling.

I set the glass down and lie down again, no blanket this time.

It's like Mom knows what I need without me having to ask for it.

She comes back from the kitchen with a cold pack wrapped in a towel.

"Roll over. I'll get your neck."

I obey, now on my stomach, and sigh in relief. It's like night and day.

"Those hot flashes, huh?"

"Mhm. My back, too."

Mom places it at my shoulder blades, then, my lower back.

"How's that?"

"Good. Move it back to my neck."

She does and I close my eyes, thinking I can fall back to sleep. I tuck my arms under my pillow and get comfortable.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Of course, baby. No more bad dreams, okay?" She kisses the back of my head.

In this moment, feeling safe and loved beyond measure, they were the furthest thing from my mind.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Callie and Stef, my loves. There will be more soon...! Thanks for reading; let me know if you liked this one.


	16. All five kids - cold (3A)

**A/N:** I'm posting one last fic thing for you guys to finish 2016. I hope it was good to you.

I managed to add thirteen chapters/ten installments to this throughout the year. Wow.

I see that this series has hit over one hundred reviews. A big THANK YOU to everyone who has left a comment or request/idea. My gratitude is endless.

I chose this one because I haven't posted one with multiple sick characters in awhile. Remember, I'm striving for variety, here (even though I could write 10,000 involving Callie).

This is set during 3A. Callie's adopted because I do what I want and because NEVER ANY BRALLIE EVER.

I saw a Principal Financial Group commercial of this couple who adopted three brothers who all got sick one weekend and it was a sweet ending, and I pictured something similar with our favorite blended family. :)

* * *

 **All five kids - cold**

 **Saturday**

"Jesus, could you be any grosser right now?" Mariana scoffed, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"I have to blow my nose."

Callie elbowed him. "I can't hear the movie."

"That's what subtitles are for."

She rolled her eyes and focused on the screen.

Jude coughed and had some water.

The Adams Foster siblings were all on the living room couch, each in the throes of the same cold that had managed to ensnare the four of them within the last two days.

And so, a lazy weekend at home was on the cards.

They decided on a movie marathon, the _Iron Man_ series with Robert Downey, Jr., which seemed to satisfy everyone. A balance of action and eye candy.

In the kitchen, Lena chuckled. It had been a few years since she and Stef had so many sick kids at one time. Now, that they were teenagers, their bond and the bickering that came with it was sort of cute.

"You guys okay in here?" she asked, gazing at them all cozied up in blankets, glasses and tissues everywhere.

"When's the soup gonna be done?" Jude asked. He wanted something warm for his sore throat.

"Soon, bubba. Mom will be home and then, it's all yours."

"It better not be all for him," Jesus interjected, with a glance in his younger brother's direction.

"It's not. I used the big pot. There's plenty."

"As long as _you_ don't hoard it," Mariana retorted.

Her twin just stuck out his tongue in response.

Lena returned to the kitchen and Stef walked in the front door, home from work.

"Hi, babies."

They all greeted her.

"How're you feeling?"

Their responses ranged from groans to shrugs and 'ehs.'

"That good, huh?" They looked weary, with pale faces and red, running noses. All of them had fallen like dominoes, one after the other.

"So, _Iron Man_?"

"The second one," Callie said, pulling a clean tissue from the box that she and Jude were sharing.

"I see. I brought you guys some stuff."

They all looked to the bags she was holding. "Anything good?" Mariana wondered.

"Oh, nothing. More Kleenex, NyQuil, Tylenol, cherry _and_ honey lemon cough drops, and...Sour Patch Kids for you, Miss Thing," Stef tossed them to her. "Life Savers for my big man, m &m's for Callie Q, and Milk Duds for my boo. And some ice cream and juice and popsicles."

"Thanks, Mom," Callie said.

" _H'R'SHOO! ... R'SHOO!_ " Jesus sneezed loudly and snuffled thickly into a tissue.

"You're not gonna bless your brother? That's a little rude, don't you think?" Stef asked them.

"It's basically implied at this point," Jude shrugged.

"Bless you, my love," Stef offered him softy.

Lena returned to the living room. "Stef, why are you giving them that junk? You'll spoil their dinner."

She just grinned.

"Okay, guys. Soup's on," Lena said.

Jesus paused the movie and got up. "Finally."

The kids grabbed the Kleenex and Stef ushered her stuffy, sniffling brood into the kitchen, putting some purchases away.

They formed a line as Lena ladled the comforting, homemade concoction into bowls, with each of them taking a seat at the table.

"Mama, do we have any—nevermind," Jesus said, spying the bag of oyster crackers near him. He dumped a ton in his bowl and stirred. "Perfect."

"You might as well forget the soup and just eat crackers, Zeus," Mariana smirked, using his family nickname that no one dared utter in public.

He just shrugged and ate.

"How is it?" Lena wondered.

"Good," they replied in unison.

She smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Stef's phone buzzed and she took it out of her pocket.

"Hey, _no phones_ at the table, Mom," Mariana reminded her.

"Rules are rules," Callie joined in.

She glared at them playfully. "I haven't sat down yet."

"I'm totally using that next time," Jude remarked.

"You will _not_ , young man," Stef said with faux sternness.

She pulled up the text; it was from Mike. She chuckled.

"Brandon did get to his dad's today, I see. He's sick, too."

" _Ha-ha_ ," Jesus grinned. "He's the biggest baby out of all of us."

"Totally," Mariana agreed. "He's so whiny and all he wants is Moms."

Callie and Jude cracked up at that.

"Our germs are lethal."

"God, I hope not," Stef groaned as she sat down next to Callie. "He's gonna stay over like usual."

"Good. More soup for us," Mariana smirked.

"Who's up for seconds?" Lena wondered.

Jesus, Callie, and Jude had a bit more.

"C'mon, let's finish the movie," Jesus urged his siblings.

Stef and Lena stayed behind to clean up while the kids reassumed their spots on the couch.

After they hit play again, Jesus broke into a coughing fit. Callie clapped his back.

"You okay, dude?"

"Yeah," he exhaled.

" _t'chiew!_ "

" _R'SHOO!_ "

"Is this another one of those telepathic twin things?" Jude wondered as the two Latinos blew into some Kleenex.

"Maybe," Callie replied and sniffled. "Or it's just... _heh_...contagious. _Heh'shoo!_ " She coughed.

"Like yawning? I don't think— _Choo!_ "

"BLESS YOU!" their moms called out from the kitchen.

The four of them looked at each other, busting out laughing.

Stef and Lena came in.

"Did that really just happen?"

"It did," Lena answered her wife, and then looked to her ailing children. "Why don't you guys go up to your rooms and lie down? You can finish this later."

"Yeah. We can start the third after," Jesus told them.

They all agreed and took their blankets and boxes of tissues with them.

Stef decided to call Mike and see how Brandon was doing.

"Hey. You need something?"

"How's B?"

"Feeling crummy. He's on the couch. How's everyone over at your place?"

"It's like a tornado blew through here," Stef replied with a laugh, looking around at the mess her kids left behind.

"One sick kid's enough for me."

"They've just had dinner and we sent them upstairs for a bit."

" _Dad_ , can I have some juice?" Stef heard her oldest son request over the line.

She chuckled. "You'd better get on that."

"Right. One second, B," he said, louder. "I'm gonna go. I hope the other four fair better than this one."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

Stef ended the call and helped Lena straighten up the living room. She then went upstairs to check on the kids, going to the boys' room first.

Jesus was already asleep in a cocoon of blankets, snoring. She smoothed his hair and turned on his white noise machine.

Jude was drowsy.

"Love you, Mom," he told her, yawning.

Stef turned off his lamp and kissed his head. "Get some sleep, baby."

She found Callie and Mariana still awake, one on her phone and the other reading a magazine.

"Alright, young ladies. Follow your brothers' leads and have a nap."

"Mama didn't say we had to sleep," Mariana reminded her.

"Well, this one says you do. C'mon, both of you."

The two of them settled in and closed their eyes.

After a couple of hours, everyone piled back in the living room to finish _Iron Man 2_ and start the last of the super hero trilogy.

"Alright, does everybody have _everything_ they need so we can just watch?" Jesus asked, looking around at the snacks and drinks in their laps.

"I think we're good, as long as we don't run out of Kleenex," Callie chuckled.

"Well, if _somebody_ didn't need a new one every two minutes..."

"Like you have any room to talk. You're like the Big Bad Wolf; your sneezes could blow the house down."

"Who cares? Just hit play," Jude sighed.

Jesus threw popcorn at him.

"Bombs away," he said, picking up where they left off.

After a few minutes, Stef piped up, "I have to go to the bathroom," and she felt five sets of eyes on her.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"Good. 'Cause this train's not stopping," Mariana said, licking her ice cream spoon.

Stef and Lena shared a glance, unable to think of a better way to spend an evening.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Just something sweet. :) It reminds me of when my siblings and I would all be sick at once, how we'd annoy each other and bicker, ha.

Okay, so, as of right now, I want to write a Mariana solo one (sort of a request, but I would love more Mariana requests/ideas; anything to spark some inspiration for her because nothing's really clicking right now) and another for Jude (request), and Lena, too, and another Callie one which will probably be longer than three chapters, so, that will get its own story. I also want to write a short non-sickfic Callie thing to change things up and you guys would probably like to see something new that's separate from this. I don't wanna get burnt out on this series; I really enjoy it. I've had the idea written down for almost a year, so, this might take a backseat for a bit, but plans always change.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this and are enjoying this series. See you all in 2017! 4B seems like it's shaping up to be quite a ride. Cheers.


	17. Jude - asthma attack

**A/N:** A **Guest** requested this in August: _Jude having an asthma attack at school_.

I hope it satisfies. Let me know. :)

This is set during 4A.

* * *

 _Request_

 **Jude - asthma attack**

 **Wednesday**

"Remember, class, a mile is four laps around the track. Go at your own pace. You have all period. If you don't finish, that's okay. Just do your best. When you finish, sit on the grass near me. Alright, get going."

Mr. Hubbell blows his whistle and my classmates begin running.

"Jude," he starts, coming up to me, "I know you're just getting over an illness, so, do what you can. If you need a break, take one, alright?"

I nod.

"Get going. You, too, Miss Ivanovic."

Taylor and I begin our run.

I'm not very athletic, especially when I'm compared to my brother, Jesus. But, running is simple. One foot in front of the other.

We're both slow to start out, and I think Taylor just wants to keep pace with me so I'm not by myself.

About a quarter through the first lap, I decide to go a bit faster.

My breathing is getting heavier.

Breathing.

It's not something I take for granted, being an asthmatic.

I know my moms worry with every cold or flu I get. Either can easily become something worse and I can usually tell early on.

That didn't happen this time. I didn't miss school. I feel better.

It's frustrating, though. I'm fourteen. I don't wanna be babied by Mr. Hubbell or my moms.

I can run like the other kids.

So, that's what I do.

As we round the turn, I go faster.

It's a rush. I'm running. I'm really doing it.

I hit the back straight away with relative ease, slowing a bit.

This is awesome.

...Until it isn't.

We're nearing the lap marker when a heavy feeling starts to settle in my chest. Tightness, too.

Oh, no.

No, no, no. Not now.

These feelings only get stronger as I slow down more. The first wheeze has me walking, and then, I start coughing.

Taylor notices this and looks back at me. "Jude, are you okay?"

I nod. _Wheeze._ "Yeah."

She stops, turns around, and walks back toward me.

"You have your inhaler, right?"

"Always." _Wheeze._

I take the red tube out of my pocket, pop off the cap, shake it, and breathe in a puff of medicine.

It's gross, trust me. But I'll take it over not breathing.

We're still walking at this point, just walking. I'm giving myself a chance to see if my lungs respond before administering more albuterol. Too much too soon is a no-no.

After about thirty seconds, I can tell that one puff isn't gonna do it. My breathing is getting more labored and shallow. My wheezes are deeper. I can't stop coughing. I leave the track and sit; Taylor joins me.

I take another puff.

And... _nada_.

Crap.

 _Crap._

I must look panicked, because Taylor goes to get Mr. Hubbell.

He kneels down in front of me.

It's getting harder to breathe. I'm not getting enough air. My head starts to droop.

"Jude, I'm calling an ambulance, alright? Someone get the vice principal, _now!_ " he shouts to my classmates, who have since stopped and been staring.

I see Martin take off running toward the school.

"Stay calm, Jude. Try to relax for me."

Mr. Hubbell dials 911 on his cell phone and is connected to a dispatcher.

"I am a gym teacher at Anchor Beach Community Charter School and one of my eighth grade students is experiencing an exercise-induced asthma attack. I need paramedics at the running track right away. Yes, he's conscious and alert. Yes, he's used his inhaler."

I hold up two fingers.

"He's used it twice, to no effect," he adds. "Okay, thank you."

Mr. Hubbell hangs up. "They're on their way, Jude. It's gonna be okay."

I nod slightly, trying to slow my breathing. I'm breaking out in a cold sweat.

I see Martin return to the group as Mama runs toward me.

"Jude. Jude, honey."

She kneels next to Mr. Hubbell. "What happened?"

"Jude was running pretty hard. He overdid it. Two puffs haven't helped," Taylor explains for me.

Mama's eyes are wide with panic and worry.

I blink a few times, seeing colorful spots.

"Can't...breathe, Mama..." I choke out.

"Shhh, shhh. Don't talk. Relax. It's gonna be alright."

Now, I can't tell her that I'm scared. It's been a few years since I've had an attack this bad. I'm older and I understand what's happening to me. My rescue inhaler isn't working. I know what's going wrong and I can't stop it.

She smooths my hair as we hear a siren grow louder, then, stop, as two paramedics wheel a stretcher toward us.

"Hey, there. I'm Pam and this is Joe. You're having difficulty breathing?" one of them, a woman asks me.

I nod.

"His name is Jude," Mama tells her.

"Jude, we're gonna take you to the hospital. Can you get on the stretcher?"

They lower it, so, all I have to do is roll onto it.

It hisses as they raise it and lift my head.

Pam and Joe work quickly in taking my blood pressure and measuring my pulse ox, hooking me up to an external monitor, which they have me hold.

"86. Let's give him three liters by mask. We'll start an IV in the rig."

Joe grabs the portable oxygen, stretches the elastic over my head and places a mask over my nose and mouth.

"Alright, let's roll."

Mama lets go of my hand and walks beside me as I'm wheeled away.

"Are you an administrator, Ma'am?" Joe asks her.

"And I'm his mom. Can I ride with him?"

"Of course. Give us room to work, hold his hand, and keep him calm," he says as we stop and I'm lifted into the ambulance.

Mama gets in first. My hand is cold and clammy in hers.

Joe gets in the driver's seat and Pam inserts an IV needle into my left hand. It stings. She hangs the bag of fluid.

"Alright, let's go!"

Joe turns on the sirens and leaves the school. It's loud. The ambulance shakes as we turn on to the road.

"Which ER are we going to?" Mama asks Pam, who is watching me and recording my vitals.

"Sacred Cross is closest. Should take about seven minutes."

"His pulmonologist is at UCSD."

"I'm sorry, but the sooner he gets treated, the better." Pam looks from Mama to me. "You hangin' in there, champ?"

 _Wheeze._ I nod. I can see my breath fog up the inside of the mask.

"How do you feel?"

I raise my thumb perpendicular to my body.

"No worse, no better?"

I nod again.

"You're gonna get fixed up, don't worry."

I'd roll my eyes if I had the energy.

 _You try breathing with a plastic bag over your face and then, tell me not to worry._

That's how I describe it, that, or trade the bag in for a straw.

It sucks.

This sucks.

Mama's doing her best not to look scared. I squeeze her hand, hoping she senses my attempt at reassurance.

Her smile is tight, but it's there.

"Joe, what's our ETA?" Pam shouts.

"Three minutes," he answers.

Soon enough, we pull into the bay and the rig stops. Joe opens the doors and has Mama get out first as I'm brought out. Joe describes my condition to the doctor and nurses. I'm wheeled inside the ER.

"Eighth grade male. Acute respiratory distress following exercise in gym class. History of asthma. BP's 130/85, pulse ox 87, respiration's 32."

The stretcher stops at a curtain. Mama's right beside me.

"We're gonna transfer you to the bed on 'three,' okay?"

The doctor, a nurse, and Joe move me and I'm hooked up to a standing monitor and given a new mask.

"We've got it from here."

"Take care, Jude, alright?"

Joe leaves the doctor and nurse to assess me.

"I'm Dr. Billings and this is Nurse Khan. We're gonna take care of you."

He listens to my heart and lungs.

"That's quite a wheeze, Jude. Are you his mother?" he asks Mama.

"Yes, one of them."

"How long has he had asthma?"

"Since he was four."

"Any recent illnesses?"

"He had a cold this past weekend."

"What medications is he on?"

"QVAR twice a day, albuterol as needed every four hours."

"And the dosage?"

"QVAR is 80mcg, I think."

She's correct. I nod, coughing.

"Alright, Jude, we'll try a nebulizer treatment, of which I'm sure you're familiar. A higher dose of albuterol to start out."

A nurse prepares it and hands it to me. I use the mouthpiece and breathe in the medicine, still wheezing.

"Slow, deep breaths, Jude. Take it easy."

The mist makes me cough. I watch as it turns to smoke on the other end.

"I'm gonna go call Mom and the school, okay? I'll be right back."

Mama kisses my head and walks down the hallway. I see her digging her cell phone out of her purse.

A few minutes later, Dr. Billings listens to my lungs again.

"I think it's working, Jude. You sound a bit better."

I think so, too. I'm still wheezy, but not as bad as when I first came in.

Finished with her phone calls, Mama returns to my side and the doctor tells her that I'm improving.

"That's great," she sighs in relief. "Mom's on her way. I had to tell your siblings what was going on."

"They're not worried...are they?"

I remember how scared they'd get when we were younger.

"No, honey. I told them you're in the ER getting treated and that you'll be fine."

"'kay..."

I can tell that the nebulizer is drying up. I have some relief of my symptoms, but not enough.

Nurse Khan informs Dr. Billings and we wait a few minutes before I'm given another treatment. Overdosing on albuterol can make me jittery. I'm given more oxygen for the moment.

Soon enough, Mom is directed to my bed. She spots me and Mama and rushes over, kissing my head and stroking my face.

"Jude, baby. Are you alright? Is he gonna be okay, Doctor?" she wonders, concerned, looking at Dr. Billings, then, back to me.

"His symptoms have improved with a higher dose of albuterol and we'll give another treatment."

"Pulse ox is up to 90 on 100%," Nurse Khan says.

"Good. We're moving in the right direction. Time for more meds, Jude."

I work on a second nebulizer, breathing in and out.

"Do you know what happened, Lena?"

"Taylor said he pushed himself too hard while running the mile."

"Jude, you know you have to be careful."

"Just wanted to...run like the other kids," I tell Mom between inhalations. "Don't need...special treatment..."

"I know, but you need to work within your limits, _especially_ after a cold."

"I was fine...it came on suddenly."

"What was Mr. Hubbell thinking? He shouldn't have let you participate."

" _Mom_..."

" _Stef_ ," Mama sighs, shaking her head. "Not now."

Thankfully, she drops the subject, for now, anyway.

After the second nebulizer, I'm switched to oxygen that flows through my nose. The tubing makes me want to sneeze. Dr. Billings reexamines me.

"He's satting at 95 on a liter."

"Much better, Jude. _Much_ better. I'm sure it was scary, but we got you through it. I don't think you'll need to be admitted. We're just gonna observe you for a few hours and if everything checks out, you can go home."

"Awesome."

 _[][][][][][]_

As we hoped, Dr. Billings discharged me a few hours later. I was given orders to take it easy, follow up with our pediatrician, Dr. Inez, and to come back if my symptoms got bad again.

Moms follow me inside the house once we get back. Everybody is waiting by the door.

Callie is the most anxious, unsurprisingly. She was like a mom to me when we were in the system, making sure I took my medicine and monitored my condition as best she could. But I'm glad that it's not a burden on her now, that she's free to be a kid and that we have moms to look after us and keep tabs on my asthma so she doesn't have to.

"Jude, are you okay?" she asks me, grabbing my shoulders.

I roll my eyes. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Callie hugs me. "I know," she sighs. "You've gotta stop scaring me like this," she chuckles, trying to downplay her relief.

She steps back and lets the others have a moment with me. Moms go to her and reassure her that I'm fine.

"Dude, we were freaking out. We got called to the office and Mama only told us that she was with you in the ER," Jesus tells me.

"What he said," Mariana adds, hugging me as well. "I'm glad you're okay, Judicorn."

"Thanks."

"Just remember, I'm the jock around here, okay?" Jesus says with a teasing smile, and I laugh.

Brandon is last, opening his arms. "Bring it in, little bro."

"I'm not _that_ little," I grumble as we hug.

"No, but you'll always be the youngest."

Brandon lets go of me and ruffles my hair.

"Alright, guys. Jude needs to rest," Mama says, breaking up the welcome wagon.

"Yes, he does," Mom confirms, nudging me toward the stairs.

The three of us go to mine and Jesus' room. I slip off my shoes and sit down on my bed; Moms do the same.

"Are you guys mad?" I wonder, glancing at both of them.

"No, love," answers Mom.

Mama agrees. "Of course not."

"I just...get tired of being treated differently. I wanted to complete the mile like everyone else. I'm not a baby."

"No, you're not. But, Jude, you have a condition that requires you to take precautions. You know better than to go all guns-blazing in PE. You've just gotten over being sick, leaving you more vulnerable to an attack, like the one you had today. You're supposed to avoid your triggers, not invite them in. Do you know how scary it was to get that phone call from Mama?"

I look up at Mom, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry," I mumble.

She rubs my back. "Nothing to be sorry for. Please show better judgment next time."

"We know you don't like being singled out, we understand. But, Mom, me, and Mr. Hubbell all have your health and best interests in mind. Things could have been much worse," Mama reminds me.

"I know," I sigh. I spent five days in the hospital for a severe attack when I was nine. I was really sick; it was scary. Our foster parents wouldn't let Callie visit me while I was in the PICU.

I wish my moms were around back then. They've taken my asthma in-stride, doing everything they can to make sure I'm healthy: making sure I don't run out of my medicine, paying for pulmonologist visits and the home nebulizer, missing work when I'm sick. This wasn't the best way to repay them.

"I'll do better. I promise. You guys do so much for me. Thank you. I don't say it enough."

"You don't have to thank us, honey. We're your moms. It's what we do."

"I just don't wanna seem...ungrateful."

"Jude, you're not."

"You could never be." Mom kisses my head. "We love you, baby."

"I love you, too."

Mama hugs me. "You've had quite a day. I think a nap is in order."

Tired, I nod in agreement. Not being able to breathe tends to cause that.

"You can have something to eat later, if you feel up to it."

"Alright."

Moms leave so I can change my clothes.

Soon enough, I drift off, grateful for life and the one I have now.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I wanted to finish this before I started focusing on my newest story, _Baby Makes Three_. I hope you guys check it out if you haven't already.

Thanks for reading.


	18. Stef - stomach flu

**A/N:** To the **Guest** who requested that last Jude installment - So glad you liked it. I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for the idea. :)

Another wonderful Guest, **Maggie** , just requested more Stef or Lena, so, here you go. Ask and you shall receive. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Stef - stomach flu**

 **Thursday - 10:37 AM**

' _When did it get so hot in here?_ ' Stef wondered, pulling at the collar of her shirt.

She attempted to ignore her stomachache that wouldn't quit and concentrate on the report in front of her, but, the words seemed to blur together.

Stef felt a flush of heat come over her, sweating and suddenly nauseated. She suppressed a moan, rising to her feet, and heading for the restroom.

She was relieved to find it empty, but that was short-lived as her stomach gurgled and she practically dived head-first into the nearest stall, her breakfast coming back up.

"Oh," Stef moaned, still nauseated as she wiped her mouth with some toilet paper.

She sat on the floor for a few minutes, making sure that she didn't have to throw up again before flushing and going to the sink. She wet a paper towel and dabbed her face, sniffling.

She gazed at her own reflection, quickly determining that she looked horrible. Tired, pale, and a bit shaky.

Stef washed her hands and went straight to her boss' office, knocking on the door frame.

"Come in," Captain Roberts allowed, not looking up from the file she was reading.

"Captain...I need to go home," Stef breathed.

She could see that her corporal looked positively green around the gills. "Have someone drive you."

"Was planning on it."

"Alright, get outta here. Feel better."

"Thanks."

Stef stopped at her desk to grab her jacket and keys before going to Mike's. "Hey. Drive me home, will you?"

"You look like crap."

"I can't possibly look worse than I feel."

Mike stood. " _Do not_ throw up in my car."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Stef deadpanned as her ex-husband handed her a trash can, just in case. "Just...drive slowly."

Stef ended up not needing it as Mike pulled his Mustang into her driveway.

"Thanks."

"Sure. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just gonna head up to bed. See ya."

"Bye."

Stef unlocked her front door as Mike backed out and returned to work, swallowing her nausea down, and shutting it. She carefully took the stairs, already shaking her hair out its bun, unbuckling her belt, and unbuttoning her uniform shirt as she walked into her bedroom. Weary, she locked her gun in the safe and pulled off her socks and shoes before stepping out of her pants and dropping her shirt in front of the closet.

She was grateful to lie down, pulling up the covers as a chill ran through her, falling into a restless sleep.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **11:54 AM**

' _Darn. Must've left them at home_ ,' thought Lena as she rifled through her bag and checked her desk for the academic reports she needed to present at that day's budget meeting.

She grabbed her purse and keys, letting Charlotte know that she needed to run home for a minute, but, that she'd be back.

Lena drove her Prius home and parked, going to the front door, noticing that it wasn't locked or completely closed. There was no other car besides hers, so, Stef or Mike couldn't be there.

Suspicious, she took quiet steps into the foyer, her eyes going wide at a noise coming from upstairs. Even though it was a bad idea, she decided to investigate, creeping through the hallway. Her's and Stef's door was open.

She knew it was Stef before she saw her, spying her wife's discarded uniform on the carpet.

Lena heard the noise again, peering in their bathroom to find Stef in just her boyshorts and a t-shirt, hunched over the toilet bowl, vomiting.

"Oh, honey," the brunette said, her heart breaking at the sight. She knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her back and holding her hair.

"Lena?" Stef questioned weakly, raising her head. "What are you doing here?"

"I forgot some reports for the budget meeting today and came to get them. When did you get here? It's just after noon."

"'Bout an hour ago," Stef exhaled. "Threw up at work. Mike drove."

"I can see that. Still nauseated?"

Stef nodded. "But I don't think I'm gonna puke again."

"Let's get you in bed."

As tempting as the cold tile was, the blonde let Lena help her stand and sat down as she retrieved some sweatpants and a clean shirt from the dresser. Stef put them on and lay back down.

Lena touched her wife's feverish brow. "Do you need me to stay, babe?"

Stef shook her head. "You'll miss your meeting. I'll just be here." She closed her eyes.

"Okay." Lena's kissed Stef's hair. "Just rest. I'll let the kids know and tell them to be quiet when they get home."

"Great, thanks." Stef rolled over and Lena found her reports on the kitchen counter, driving back to Anchor Beach.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **5:11 PM**

Lena went upstairs carrying a mug and a plate, checking to see if Stef was awake.

She found her still in bed, sitting up.

"Hi."

Lena set the broth and toast down, feeling her wife's forehead, who still had a temperature. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I haven't thrown up anymore."

"Good."

"I'm exhausted, though. Is that for me?"

"Only if you feel up to it. Maybe just the broth for now, get your electrolytes back in check."

Stef nodded as Lena gave her the mug, taking a tentative sip, and then, another of the warm liquid, once she determined that her stomach was not going to immediately reject it. She tried a bite of dry toast, but decided against it.

"Do you need anything else?"

"Another blanket?"

Lena brought her one from their closet, draping it over her as she settled back into the mattress. "Better?"

"Mhm. Ugh, cold." Stef pulled the covers tighter.

Lena decided to climb in on her side of the bed, wrapping her arms around Stef, thinking her body heat would help. "How's that?"

"Mm...perfect," Stef chuckled, a slight smile on her lips. "You know you're the hottest nurse on the planet, right?"

" _Oh, yeah_ ," Lena agreed, smug.

The two of them fell asleep.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Short and sweet. I love my TV mamas.


	19. Callie - pink eye (conjunctivitis)

**A/N:** This one has been sitting around for awhile. Some of you guys voted for this to be posted a few months ago. Here it is.

* * *

 **Callie - pink eye (conjunctivitis)**

Callie hurried off to the bathroom after third period to get a paper towel. Her left eye was watering nonstop, no matter how much she wiped it or tried to clear it up. It wasn't that bad earlier. She got it damp and took a good look at her face. Her affected eye looked a bit swollen and irritated. The cold water felt good for a moment, but the watering and burning quickly started up again.

The bell rang and Callie went to her next class.

After school, Callie was lying on her back, her eye covered with a wet paper towel. She heard the front door open and a voice say, "I'm home!"

Callie got up and went downstairs, finding Lena in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mama? Do we have any eye drops? I couldn't find any in your bathroom."

Lena stuck her head out from the fridge. "Is something wrong?" Callie kept dabbing at her eye.

"My eye's bugging me. I think it's an allergy or something."

"Mariana probably has some."

"Oh, right. Thanks."

"Wait. Let me see it." She came over to take a closer look. "Has it been watering like that all day?"

"Yeah."

"It looks irritated."

"It kinda hurts. It itches."

"I don't think this is an allergic reaction, honey."

"Then, what is it?"

"I think...it's pink eye."

"Pink eye? Isn't that what little kids get?"

Lena chuckled. "Anyone at any age can get it."

"Gross." Callie groaned a little and moved her hand to her face.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't touch it, don't rub it. Pink eye is extremely contagious. Go wash your hands and get your stuff."

The hand-washing Callie understood, but why were they leaving? "Why?"

"I'm taking you to Urgent Care. You need antibiotics and we have to prevent this from spreading."

"Why not Dr. C's office?"

"She'd be closed by the time we'd get there. I'm gonna let Mom know. Go on." Lena called her wife.

"Hi, love."

"Hi. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Can you pick up dinner on your way home from work?"

"Sure."

"Great. I'm taking Callie to Urgent Care right now."

"Urgent Care? Why? What happened?"

"I think she has pink eye. Her left eye's been bothering her all day; watering, irritation, itching."

"Okay. That's probably a good idea."

"Alright. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Callie did as she was told, returning to the kitchen after getting her bag from her room.

"Mom will bring home dinner. Let's go."

Mission Bay Urgent Care was about ten minutes away. They entered the building and saw there were four people ahead of them, waiting to sign in. Eventually, Lena and Callie stepped up to the triage nurse behind the glass.

"Welcome to Mission Bay Urgent Care. What seems to be the problem?"

"I think my daughter might have pink eye."

She could see that the teen in front of her was dabbing at her swollen, weepy eye. "I see. Fill this out and bring it back, please." She handed Lena a clipboard and a pen.

Lena and Callie found some empty chairs surrounded by others waiting to be seen. Some were holding gauze to wounds, others were coughing or looked ill.

Lena began to fill out the form with Callie's info, the basics first, then, why they were there. "What's your chief complaint? What's the worst symptom right now?"

"The watering and the itching."

Lena wrote that down and finished up the sheet, returning it to the window.

"She said a nurse will take us back soon."

"Yeah, sure." Callie knew how triage worked; the most serious and emergent cases went first. A girl with a watery eye wasn't high up on the list.

With a sigh, Callie dug out her iPod and put in her earbuds, trying to distract herself from the pain and itching. She wanted so badly to rub her eye, but she knew her mama would see and scold her.

Lena brought a book with her, so, the two of them were quiet for awhile.

Eventually, Callie lay her head on Lena's shoulder.

"You okay, bug?"

"It burns and itches."

Lena looked at the clock and saw that about forty-five minutes had passed. "Hopefully, it won't be too much longer."

A nurse came out every so often and rattled off names, as a few people left and others entered. A man with a deep gash in his leg was seen immediately.

"That's what I should have done. Near amputation with a side of pink eye."

Lena chuckled. Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Stef.

 _Have you been called back yet?_

 _Nope._

 _I brought home Chinese. I'll make sure there's enough for you both._

 _Great. I'll let you know when we're on our way home. It's really busy today. We've been here for almost an hour._

 _Okay. Kiss Callie for me._

Lena obliged her wife, pecking her daughter's temple. "That's from Mom."

Callie smiled a little.

About a half-hour later, Callie's name was finally called.

A nurse came in to the waiting area.

"Callie Adams Foster?"

She and Lena stood and followed her back to an exam room. "Hi, I'm Jules. I'm gonna record your vitals and then, the doctor will examine you."

Jules took Callie's temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, then listened to her heart and lungs.

"These are all normal. Sit tight, the doctor will be here in a minute." She left the two of them.

"Getting in the exam room is half the battle," Lena remarked, looking around at what was on the counters and the equipment that was present.

"Well, if he or she would hurry up, that'd be great. It's pink eye, how long could this take?"

Five minutes went by, then, ten. Lena and Callie felt impatience setting in.

"This is ridiculous, it's been twenty minutes," Lena exclaimed. "I'm going to find—"

She didn't have the chance to finish that sentence because the doctor walked in. An older gentleman, with graying hair and glasses.

"So sorry for the delay, ladies. Hi, Callie. Mrs. Adams Foster. I'm Dr. Manning," he greeted them politely.

"Hi."

"Hello."

"So, you think it's pink eye, huh? Let's see." He took his stethoscope from around his neck and inserted the ear pieces.

"The problem's my eye, not my heart or lungs."

"Just following procedure, Callie. Your heart sounds good."

Dr. Manning had her take some deep breaths.

"Lungs are clear."

He looked in her mouth, ears, and nose before shining a light in her eyes. "Uh-huh. The left is definitely inflamed, some discharge. When did this start?"

"This morning."

"It's good you came in so soon; another day or two and you would have infected both. Have you had this before?"

"No."

Dr. Manning then asked Callie more questions and he dictated her answers.

"Any known allergies?"

"No."

"Are you taking any medications? Even things like Tylenol?"

"Not recently."

"Are there any other medical conditions I should know about?"

Callie shook her head. "I've always been healthy." Not entirely true, but, she'd been well-fed since landing on the Fosters' doorstep two years ago. Some days, her previous homes felt like an alternate universe, like she had only just imagined them.

"When was your last period?"

"A couple of weeks ago. It started on the sixth."

"How's your cycle?"

"Regular. Once a month."

"I am required to take a sexual history. I can have your mom step out if you'd like."

Callie glanced to Lena, not sure how to tell her that she preferred to speak with Dr. Manning alone.

Her daughter's hesitation told Lena what to do. "I'll be outside, Callie," she said simply and left.

"Alright, then. Every patient that comes in is asked these questions. Everything you tell me is confidential, except if you disclose things like instances of abuse or suicidal thoughts. Understand?"

Callie nodded.

"Are you currently sexually active?"

"No."

"Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"His name's AJ. We've been going out for eight months."

"Do you have any other partners?"

"No."

"Have the two of you ever had any sexual contact?"

"No."

"Have you had any partners in the past?"

Callie felt anxiety creeping in at having to allude to Liam. "Yes."

"How many?"

She made sure to keep her composure. "Just one."

"How long ago?"

"About three years."

"You're seventeen, correct? So, you were about fourteen?"

"He was my first boyfriend."

She hated using that word, but it worked in this context.

"Any sexual contact?"

"No."

She knew it was a lie. She knew it and said it anyway. She didn't want to bring it up and have Liam be in control of the dialogue.

"Okay. If you do engage in sexual contact, you should always use contraception. Condoms, birth control."

Callie nodded.

"Have you ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease?"

"No."

"What about AJ or your previous partner?"

"Not that I know of."

"That's important to find out before you engage in sexual contact with anyone. Make sure you ask AJ, for his health and yours."

"I will."

"Would you like to be screened for STDs and/or HIV/AIDS? Again, your results are confidential. No one will be told but you."

"No, thanks."

"That's all the questions. Thank you for being open and honest with me."

Callie felt a little sick at that.

"Do you have any questions for me? Concerns?"

Callie shook her head.

"I'm gonna call your mom back in now."

Lena came back to the room as Dr. Manning re-addressed Callie's current condition.

"Your eye itches badly?"

"It's like torture. It's taking everything in me not to rub it."

He smiled sympathetically. "We'll give you something for that. Based on my exam, I do agree that it is pink eye. I'm gonna recommend that you have a steroid injection, which will reduce the inflammation and help the itching, okay?"

Callie nodded.

"I'm gonna write a prescription for antibiotic eye drops and a pill to be taken for seven days to make sure this clears up. Your right eye doesn't look affected, but treat both, just to be safe." He wrote them out and Lena put them in her purse.

"I'm going to get the nurse who will administer the steroid."

Dr. Manning left and Jules appeared again with a new syringe and a bottle of medicine. She washed her hands, put on gloves, and prepared the shot. "Alright, Callie. This is cortisone. It is a long-acting steroid that will last for about a week."

Callie began to roll up her sleeve and Jules stopped her.

"No, no. This goes in your glute."

Callie got up, turned around, and exposed enough skin to allow the shot. The alcohol wipe was cold.

"Okay. Small pinch."

Callie winced as the needle pierced her skin and felt the pressure of the syringe's plunger pushing in the medicine.

In a second, it was done.

"Okay. That wasn't so bad, right?" She bandaged the injection site.

Callie shrugged.

"You're all set. Hang out for about ten minutes, just to make sure there's no adverse reaction."

Lena and Callie gathered their things after the ten minutes were up, thanking Dr. Manning and Jules, and going to the car.

Callie felt a bit sluggish as they drove to the pharmacy to have her prescriptions filled. She stared out the window, drained.

"You okay, Callie?"

"Mhm."

"We'll be home in a bit."

Lena pulled into the parking lot. Callie saw that there was a Starbucks nearby.

"Can I get Starbucks?"

"Sure, honey," Lena allowed, hoping a treat would perk her up a little. It would be a short wait for her drops and pills. "You go get in line and I'll meet you over there."

Callie entered the coffee shop and waited to order. She took her White Chocolate Mocha to a table outside. The hot coffee did nothing to suppress the heaviness in her stomach. She watched people enter and exit the shop, drinks in hand, and those who walked by until Lena pulled up.

"How's your drink?" she wondered as Callie got in and buckled her seat belt.

"Fine."

"Let's get home; I'm starving."

Home sounded good.

Stef met them at the front door.

"Hey, guys." She kissed Lena on the cheek, then, pulled her daughter in for a hug. "You okay, baby?"

Callie nodded.

Stef cupped her cheek and examined her afflicted eye. "Yeah, that looks like pink eye to me. Brandon got it once when he was three. God, giving him those drops _sucked_ ," she remembered with a laugh.

Callie chuckled a little at what her mom probably had to do to make sure Brandon's infection cleared up.

"I see Mama let you hit up Starbucks." Stef observed the cup in her daughter's hand and shared an adoring smile with her wife.

"No fair!" they heard Mariana exclaim from the kitchen table.

"Call it a moment of weakness."

"Come on and eat. I ordered your favorite, Cal."

She appreciated the gesture, but as much as she loved beef and broccoli, her drink wasn't settling right in her stomach.

"I'm not really hungry."

"No? You sure?"

"Can I go lie down?"

Stef nodded. "We'll check on you later."

Callie went upstairs while her moms joined her siblings in the kitchen.

She kicked off her shoes and lay on her left side, on the hip that hadn't been injected with cortisone. The other was sore and began to throb slightly. She closed her eyes to block it out.

"Do you really have pink eye?"

"No, Mama took me to Urgent Care because I'm faking," Callie deadpanned, replying to her sister's question. She got up to go to the bathroom to wipe out her eye as her lashes were sticking together.

Mariana followed her and looked at Callie's face in the mirror. "That's totally disgusting."

She just rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't ask for an audience."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah. It itches like crazy."

"Ooh. Mama said you got a shot."

"They gave me a steroid. I hope it works."

Suddenly, Callie's nausea turned up to eleven. She got down quickly and heaved into the toilet.

Alarmed, Mariana asked, "Want me to get Moms?"

"No," she choked. She coughed and gagged; her coffee tasted awful coming back up. She heaved again, tasting acid, then, nothing as her stomach lurched into her throat.

"I'm getting them," the younger teen decided, leaving before Callie could protest further.

She heard two sets of footsteps.

"Aw, love," Stef said, kneeling down beside her, rubbing her back. Lena wet a wash cloth and placed it on the back of her neck.

"I don't need you, I'm fine." Callie coughed and spit, then flushed. "Mariana's a—"

"Hey," Lena snapped.

Callie took off the cloth.

Lena noticed her face had paled; she looked flushed. "Have you felt sick since the shot?"

"Kinda."

"This could be a delayed reaction to the cortisone," she supposed, looking at Stef.

Callie shook her head. "It's not that."

She knew exactly what this was.

"Maybe we should go back."

"No," Callie said, stronger. "I said I'm fine. I just need to lie down."

"Callie, this could be serious. I don't want to take any chances."

"It's not the freaking steroids! God!" she huffed, quickly standing. "I'm going to bed."

At that outburst, both women knew something was up. They followed their daughter into her room.

"If it's not that, then, what is it?" Lena inquired as the girl lay down again, not facing them.

She was silent.

"Callie?" Stef tried, gentle.

"Just leave me alone."

"Sorry, kid. We can't do that."

"I don't feel good, so, go."

"Like how?"

"Go away!" she said again, trying not to cry. Any tears would just cause more burning and her eye's current state was bad enough.

"Callie," Lena started slowly, preparing herself for the answer, "did something happen with Dr. Manning?"

"Mama, that's confidential."

"Did he do something?" she asked again, completely serious.

"What?" Stef exclaimed.

"Callie went over her sexual history with him alone."

"No! God, no. We just talked. I answered his questions."

Stef narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," the teen exhaled. "He was completely professional, I swear."

"Then, why'd you throw up?"

"It doesn't matter."

"To us, it matters a lot," Stef argued.

"At the risk of repeating myself, I feel like crap and _would like some quiet_ ," Callie said through gritted teeth, not wanting to lose her cool on them.

"We're not leaving," Lena said, her tone meaning all business.

"We certainly are not until you tell us what's going on."

Callie steeled herself in her head. To just say it. To just tell them.

"I lied."

The two moms shared a look.

"About what?" Lena pressed.

"He asked me about previous partners and I lied. I said...I said I didn't have sexual contact with Liam."

Callie felt her moms' weight on her mattress.

"Did you say his name?" Stef wondered this time.

Callie shook her head, sniffling, as tears finally broke free. "I couldn't."

"That's okay, honey. You didn't have to," Lena soothed.

"He's not important. I was there for freakin' pink eye. What does my sexual history have to do with that?" She laughed, pained. "Rape or not, it's still just pink eye. I was _not_ going to let him and what he did dictate the conversation. That's all he would have focused on and I didn't want to talk about it."

As much as Stef and Lena didn't like that Callie withheld information, they understood why she did.

"It's never gonna end. I can't ever forget. I can't even go see a doctor without being reminded."

Their daughter's anguish cut both moms to the bone.

Lena ran a hand along her leg and Stef, her back.

Their gentle, supportive touches sent Callie over the edge.

They didn't say anything, letting her cry and muffle sobs and screams into a pillow, knowing she needed the release.

Callie knew she needed to stop; her eye ached and burned as tears kept coming.

"I can't cry. It hurts my eye too much." She laughed at her predicament.

Lena brought her another wash cloth and some tissues. She rolled over and put the cold fabric over her eye, which helped.

"We're gonna have to wash your bedding and we already told the others not to share towels or anything like that."

Callie nodded.

Stef felt her forehead. "I think you're running a fever."

"It's just the shot."

"Do you feel flu-ish at all?"

"Somewhat. Can I have an ice pack? My hip is sore."

"Sure."

"Bring some Tylenol and her drops," Lena said. "She needs to take her pill with food. We can deal with that in a bit."

Stef went downstairs and returned with the requested items.

Callie took some Tylenol and let Lena put in her eye drops. She rolled back over and Stef placed the ice pack on her hip, sighing in relief.

"Better?"

"Much."

"Try to sleep for awhile. We'll have you eat later," Lena told her.

"Okay."

"How about some Benadryl? It'll make you sleepy," Stef suggested, sensing that Callie might be feeling tired and restless at the same time. She really needed to rest.

Callie swallowed the two small pills obediently and lay back down, covering up, feeling chilled.

"Love you, Moms."

"We love you, sweetheart." Lena kissed her head and they went to the kitchen, with Stef going straight to the garage.

Lena gave her a few minutes alone before following her.

She could see the blonde pacing the floor. She opened the door, making noise on purpose so she wouldn't startle her.

"Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Stef chuckled humorlessly. "Am I okay?" She turned, pacing again, thinking of a response. "Am I okay? Am I okay with the fact that every road our daughter goes down leads back to what that monster did to her? Am I okay with the fact that that _joke_ of a public defender had the _nerve_ to suggest that Callie lie on the stand to put Liam away for statutory rape, which was _not_ what happened, Callie _never_ wanted it, she said _no_. All because of her file, because that's the only thing that mattered. A few sentences on some paper, the details of every mistake she'd ever made. _And justice for all_ , right? Where's Callie's justice? Liam's a free man, walking around, with absolutely no remorse for his crime, while our daughter is still trapped by the mere allusion of him. Am I okay with the fact that two beautiful children lost their mother and father long before they should have, dealing with abuse and neglect and God knows what else? That they went hungry, endured the uncertainty of a placement, whether they'd be there for days or months. Teachers thinking they were slackers when they were really in need of stability. Callie processing her trauma on her own." She stopped and looked at her wife. "Why couldn't we have found them sooner? Why couldn't we have found them sooner, Lena? We could have saved them, saved _her_ from a lot of pain. We were too late. We were too late and Callie is broken and I can't fix her. I want to fix it and I can't and...it's killing me inside."

Stef began to cry and Lena went to her, just holding her.

"It's going to upset her sometimes, she's going to cry, she's gonna feel that pain. It's okay for _you_ to be upset for her. I am, too. We just have to keep sending her to therapy and loving her through it. Right?"

Stef looked up. "Yeah."

She composed herself and they went back inside.

After a couple of hours, Stef and Lena woke Callie from her nap and had her go downstairs to eat so she could take her medicine.

She swallowed her pill first and after a few bites of Chinese, Callie had enough.

"Have a bit more, please, sweetheart," Lena requested.

"I'm not hungry. You're lucky I got _that_ down."

"A couple more bites, then, you can be done." She felt like she was dealing with a stubborn kindergartner.

Callie obeyed, pushing the food away as she chewed.

"I'm sorry I lied to Dr. Manning."

"You don't have to apologize, Callie."

"No. It wasn't right. I shouldn't have done it."

"You didn't have to share anything you didn't want to."

Callie shook her head, with tears coming again. "I should've been braver. Stronger. I was a coward."

"Callie Quinn, one thing you are _not_ is a coward. Never. You are one of the strongest persons I've ever known," Stef shared, taking her daughter's hand.

"I couldn't tell Dr. Manning that I was raped. That's not strong; that's me being weak. Letting Liam win."

"My love, no one gets it right all the time. You've been through so much. You're still growing, changing, healing. And we're gonna be here when you need us to hold you up. Because we love you and you deserve every good thing this life has in store for you."

"I'm really proud of you for telling us," Lena added warmly. "The old Callie would've kept that inside and let it eat away at her. It took a bit of prodding, but, the fact that you felt safe enough to do so means everything to your mom and me."

They shared a glance, with Stef agreeing with her wife.

"We're gonna keep reminding you, there is absolutely _nothing_ that you cannot share with us. You can tell us anything and we will listen and love you, no matter what."

Callie nodded. "I love you guys."

"We love you, too, honey," Stef echoed.

Callie stood from the table. "I'm gonna go back to bed." She knew she was missing school the next day because of her antibiotics.

"Let us know if you need something," Lena told her.

Callie smiled. The two of them had been what she needed all along. Good things must come in pairs.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** The majority of this is based on my own experience when I got pink eye a couple years back, at 23. lol Unlike Callie, I was a dumb-dumb and kept touching my eyes, so, it spread from my right to my left. I tried some home remedies for a few days; eye rinses and boric acid (antibacterial agent that's in contact solution). Nothing worked, so, I was forced to go to Urgent Care without insurance. Waited about two hours, saw the nurse for like five minutes, and waited twenty for the doctor. $300 for a basic exam, answering questions, and a shot of steroids. God Bless America. I was so miserable afterward that I did get Starbucks to cheer myself up. lol

Also unlike Callie, I was given pills and ointment, not drops. It was such a pain in the ass. Just Google the directions and you'll see what I mean. So, I decided to be kinder to her in that regard, haha.

You all probably don't care about this. But I learned and I try not to touch my eyes at all. Seriously, don't. I never want pink eye again. lol

I suck at life and only have other Callie installments completed at the moment. I hope you guys liked this one.


	20. Callie - cold (4B) - Ch 1

**A/N:** This is slightly AU because in this, Jesus' situation with the nail gun never happened, so, his consequences for fighting with Nick are much less serious. As soon as I saw those stills of Stef and Callie in juvie from 04x13, the spark of an idea for another installment was ignited. My goal was to start posting this before the next episode and I got a major creative boost, so, I've cranked it out. Hope you like.

 **Terms**

" **shot** " - disciplinary write-up for minor rule infractions

" **SHU** " - Secure Housing Unit; solitary confinement

(Yes, I am a devoted fan of _Orange is the New Black_ )

* * *

 **Callie - cold (4B)**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Monday**

Callie is awake, staring at the concrete wall across from her bunk. Her second night in Chula Vista Juvenile Detention Facility.

She finds it hard to sleep, knowing she's all she has. There's no one who can watch her back. She's fresh meat, after all.

Not to mention the fact that their block might as well be ice.

The temperature of the room is no help to her.

She's under the blanket with every piece of clothing she's allowed and she still can't get warm.

It all started yesterday. She thought she was just tired due to a sleepless night, nervous about her impending hearing.

But then, she was feeling sniffly and _blah_ as the day went on.

Because being ordered back into custody wasn't enough.

Her throat feels like wet sandpaper.

She can't cough. No sneezing, either. Attracting attention or drawing the ire of her fellow inmates is the last thing she wants.

 _'"Keep your head down,"'_ she remembers Stef telling her before she was taken to be booked and processed.

So, Callie silently wipes her nose with the cuff of her sleeve, sniffling ever so slightly.

Callie can't sleep when she's cold.

But eventually, fatigue overcomes her before 6 AM wake-up.

She's convinced the universe delights in her suffering as she steps under the spray of the shower that's just over lukewarm. But she remembers that she's been through worse.

She washes quickly, dries off, and puts on her uniform, stepping up to the row of sinks to brush her teeth.

With no time to think, Callie sneezes suddenly into her hands, closing her eyes, groaning inwardly.

"Fuckin' nasty..." she hears the girl next to her mutter in disgust.

Callie pulls some toilet paper from her roll and blows her nose.

Using her elbow, she turns on the faucet and rinses off before using soap to wash her hands.

"What's the hold up?"

"Yeah, you're holding up the line!"

"Let's go, Princess."

Callie ignores the jeers of the inmates behind her and hastily uses her toothbrush before exiting the bathroom. She puts her toiletries away and heads to the cafeteria for breakfast.

What ends up on her tray is nothing like what her moms and siblings would be having. Gray slop that in no way resembled oatmeal, cold eggs, a sad-looking banana, a carton of milk, and a mostly-thawed portion of orange juice concentrate.

She wasn't hungry, but suddenly longed for the taste of Lena's fluffy buttermilk pancakes, the smell of coffee as Stef poured it into her favorite blue mug. Even Jesus' and Mariana's bickering.

Home.

"You eatin' that?"

Pulled from her thoughts, Callie shakes her head, but takes the milk before pushing the tray toward her tablemate.

When she's allowed to go back to her block, she does, grateful to lie down.

Callie lets her guard down just a little. She's alone.

She coughs, suppressing a moan of discomfort at her sore throat.

She must have dozed off, because when she opens her eyes, a guard is standing over her.

"You have a visitor, Inmate."

Callie is escorted to the visitation room. A buzz is heard as the holding room is unlocked.

Callie looks out the other end and sees her mom sitting at a table.

" _HehCHEW!_ " she sneezes, bending at the waist.

"Would you like a shot to go with that?"

"Um, no?" Callie answers, not expecting that question. Why would he ask if she'd like to be written up?

" _Don't_ do that again," the guard says, clearly grossed out.

She just nods as he allows her to use a tissue from the box on his desk.

"Take another. Insurance policy."

Callie does, putting it in her sleeve, and she walks up to Stef, who stands to greet her.

"Hi, love."

"Hey."

Callie doesn't want to get her sick, but hugs her mom anyway, forgetting her circumstances for a moment.

"Cal, you're shivering. Are you okay?"

Stef breaks the embrace and looks at her daughter, noting her flushed and exhausted features.

"Not really," she admits, sniffling.

"Sit down."

Callie obeys, taking a seat across from Stef. "So, what's up?"

"I wanted to let you know that Robert came to the house this morning. It seems that Mariana told Sophia that you're here."

"Is he upset?"

"A bit. But I was thinking...maybe he could help. He can afford a better lawyer and maybe get your case dismissed."

Callie clears her throat. "You'd let him do that?"

"I would do anything to bring you home, where you belong."

Callie smiles a little. "How's Jesus?" she asks between coughs.

"Better. They're discharging him today."

"Are they sure it's just a concussion?"

"Yes. He's going to have to take it easy for a bit, but he'll be fine."

"Good," Callie sighs, relieved.

"Besides the obvious, are you doing alright? Anybody giving you a hard time?"

Callie shakes her head. "No. Nothing like that."

She pulls the tissue from her sleeve to wipe her runny nose.

"How long?" Stef wonders, alluding to her daughter's current health.

"Yesterday-ish," Callie shrugs, sniffling again.

"I'm sorry," the blonde apologizes, wishing she could bust her out and take her home.

"S'okay. Not your... _heh_...fault. _Chhh! ... H'chhh! HEH'chshh!_ "

Never more grateful for the tissue in her possession, Callie holds it to her face until she's sure she doesn't have to sneeze again.

"Bless you." Stef rubs her arm.

"Thanks."

"You know better than to stifle those."

"Less mess, trust me."

Stef chuckles a bit.

Callie groans, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't wanna cut this short, but I _really_ need to lie down."

"Of course, baby. Take it easy and don't worry. You'll be out soon."

The two of them stand and hug again.

"I'll tell everyone you send your love."

"And not my germs, hopefully." Callie holds on to her, not ready to let go yet, feeling safe enough to finally say three words. "Love you, Mom."

"I love you, too. So much."

Stef puts her hands on Callie's shoulders. "Try to eat and stay hydrated. Don't push too hard on work detail. Get some sleep tonight, okay?"

"Mhm."

Stef kisses Callie's head and watches her leave to go back into holding.

"Have a good visit?" the same guard asks Callie.

"Sure did," she replies, cool, with a final glance at her mom before returning to her bunk.

 _[][][][][][]_

Callie is still feeling awful when her block gets their daily yard time after lunch. She chooses a table in the corner, sitting alone. It is an unseasonably warm November day, and while others complain, Callie relishes in it, letting the solar rays hit her face and arms.

Her peaceful sunbathing is interrupted by a blockmate walking over to her, the only one who has talked to her, slightly confrontational.

"Look, just so you know, Joey is _my_ man. So, you need to back off."

Confused, Callie just blinks.

"Joey, the guard? I saw you talkin' to him in line."

"Yeah, no, he's all yours," Callie assures her smoothly.

"You're damn right he is."

She walks away and another nearby decides to say her piece.

"That fool thinks she's with him? He bags every girl he can. And watch out, his drugs are nasty. I mean, one girl he partied with went to the infirmary and never came back."

Callie is left with that as she soaks up every bit of sun she can before her block is filed back inside.

 _[][][][][][]_

Mopping floors sucks, but Callie realizes that it sucks even more when you don't have the energy, as it is one of the more labor-intensive chores on the list.

She hears footsteps as Joey walks up to her.

"You should move that bucket. Somebody could trip over it."

Callie slides it against the wall with her foot.

"I thought I'd extend my invitation one more time. How 'bout it?"

"Look, like I said before, it's not personal. It's not my thing."

"Ah, but I can make it worth your while," he insists, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Thanks, but no, thanks." Callie starts to cough and sees that Joey is repulsed.

"What, are you sick or something?"

Callie bites back a smart response. "Unfortunately. I don't think I'm the kind of party you're looking for."

Joey scoffs. "Right. You're not that pretty anyway. Back to work, Inmate," he huffs, a superior air about him as he leaves.

Callie exhales a breath of relief, hoping that's the end of it.

 _[][][][][][]_

Remembering what her mom said, Callie eats most of her dinner, consisting of Salisbury steak, watery imitation mashed potatoes, and overcooked carrots.

A far cry from Lena's warm, wholesome meals that were enjoyed around their kitchen table.

She makes sure to drink her milk and water, as well.

After dinner is free time until lights-out at 9 PM. Callie decides to lie down for a bit, but goes to get more water from the cooler in the TV room. She ignores all of the cliques in their self-designated areas; she's sure they're all sizing her up.

The gallon jug gurgles as Callie fills a paper cup twice.

"That enough for you, Princess? Or can the rest of us thirsty birds have some?"

Callie's ears perk up at that nickname. She'd heard it this morning at the showers.

Callie steps aside. "Have at it."

She tosses her cup in the trash and heads back to the block.

Coughing, Callie sits in her bunk, knees to her chest. She's tried hiding her illness, giving up, as it is pointless. She's miserable, silently bargaining with any higher power she can think of, determining that she'd much rather suffer in her own bed.

"You better not be gettin' us all sick."

Callie looked to her left to see the girl who warned her about Joey and his drugs in the yard.

"Caught it after I got here, so, it's more likely that one of you is Patient Zero."

She nods. "I'm Leisha."

"Callie. I'd shake your hand, but, you know." She shrugs.

"Right. So, are you a short-timer?"

"Not sure. Depends on how my case goes."

"Well, this place is better than SHU, trust."

"Noted."

Leisha walks away.

Soon enough, a guard gives them a five-minute warning, and it's time for lights-out.

As the bunks are plunged into darkness, Callie thinks of a more familiar nighttime routine.

On school nights, Stef liked to make her rounds, checking on her cubs to make sure they were ready for bed.

Sometimes, Lena would do so, or Callie would go to their room to say goodnight instead.

These thoughts are enough to ease her to sleep.

Callie's rest is short-lived, however, when she's shoved awake by another girl. She doesn't recognize her voice.

"Shut the hell up. You snore like a damn chainsaw."

As her disturber goes back to bed, Callie folds her pillow in half, propping her head up more to hopefully put an end to the noise. She only snores when she's congested, and it must be loud if her bunkmates are bothered by it.

Mariana just tended to throw pillows at her until she woke up.

Lena would make her tea and Stef would suggest a hot shower.

But she forgot. She isn't home. This is juvie, and getting physical first and asking questions later is typical around here.

Now awake and feeling particularly vulnerable, Callie can't fall back to sleep, pulling her thin, woven blanket tighter around herself.

She sniffles, wiping her nose with her shirt, a repeat of the night before.

Except tonight, she has to silence a sneeze, and another, clearing her watery eyes with her other sleeve.

Her cough reflex is triggered, and she holds them in as best she can until the need passes.

 _'Please, God, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, all of the above...let me go home.'_

* * *

 **A/N:** Poor Callie, how I torture her so.

I thought about including a stay in solitary, but I'm not _that_ heartless. Being sick in juvie on bogus charges is awful enough.


	21. Callie - cold (4B) - Ch 2

**A/N:** Here's the second part. Will Stef put aside her pride and accept Robert's help to get Callie's case dismissed? Read to find out...

* * *

 **Callie - cold (4B)**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Tuesday**

After another mostly sleepless night, Callie mindlessly goes to shower the next morning, waiting in line, once again making quick work of bathing and brushing her teeth.

What she would give for a hair dryer right now. Or a box of Kleenex, whichever's easiest for the universe to provide.

Callie thinks about skipping breakfast, but decides to receive her tray of French toast sticks with syrup, eggs, a banana, and juice.

Her appetite all but non-existent, she has a few bites of everything before moving on to her drinks.

She saves the chocolate milk for last, the closest thing to a treat, letting the cold sweetness linger on her tongue.

Afterward, Callie lies down in her bunk, resting and preserving her energy for that day's work detail. She still feels terrible, so, she's going to need every ounce.

Yard time is not nearly as enjoyable on this day. The temperature has cooled down, and Callie is downright chilly, the light breeze notwithstanding. Her nose runs incessantly; sniffling makes her cough, sneeze, or both.

Callie pushes through another shift of mopping the hallways, this time, without interruption.

Dead on her feet, Callie drags herself back to the bunks, forgoing the last meal of the day. The very idea of food turns her stomach.

She's left alone until a guard comes to the doorway.

"Hey, Inmate."

Callie rolls over.

"Yeah, you. Come with me."

The woman leads her through a few sets of doors, until they reach a sign with an arrow.

 **RELEASE**

She was getting out.

"I can leave?"

"Your case was dismissed. Once you change and collect your belongings, you're free to go."

The conversation that she and Stef had yesterday comes back to her.

' _"I wanted to let you know that Robert came by the house this morning."_ '

Robert did this for her.

Callie keeps herself from smiling as she is buzzed into the room and sits in a chair, waiting for her clothes. Eventually, the staff retrieves them for her, never happier to be wearing jeans and a shirt.

Following procedure, the woman behind the desk passes her an envelope containing her wallet and cell phone. Callie signs for them.

"Okay, Miss Adams Foster. You're all set."

"Thanks."

Callie opens the door and goes down the steps. Stef and Robert are waiting for her.

"Hi, my love."

Stef hugs Callie like she hasn't seen her in days, instead of just one. She peppers her head with kisses.

"Hey, Mom."

She lets go, but not before giving her daughter an extra squeeze.

Callie turns her attention to Robert, with Stef deciding to give them a moment alone.

"Hi, Dad."

"Callie, you look terrible. What has juvie done to you?"

She laughs, which turns into coughs.

Callie and Robert hug.

"Thank you," she says simply, a bit emotional.

"You don't have to thank me, sweetheart. Just promise me no more trouble."

"I swear, Dad. I mean it. I'm sorry."

Robert smooths Callie's back, comforting her. "It's over now. That's all that matters."

Callie nods, stepping back. "So, why were the charges dropped?"

"Lack of evidence on the vehicular assault and we argued that you had cause to leave the scene on the hit-and-run."

Callie breathes a sigh of relief as pressure builds in her sinuses.

"Dad, you've got a handkerchief, right?" It was one of the few old school sensibilities he shared with his estranged father.

"Yeah, in my—oh."

Robert fishes it out of his back pocket, passing it to Callie just in time for her to pitch forward in a sneezing fit.

" _Heh'chew! Heh'chew! HEHchew! Heh...CHEW!_ "

Callie wipes her nose, groaning.

"Jeez, Callie. _Bless you_. Your mom said you were sick, but not like this."

"Well, you know me, go big or go home," she quips, her voice more hoarse and congested than ever.

Callie folds the cloth and tries to give it back to Robert.

"Keep it," he insists, chuckling. "It's much more useful for you. Now, why don't you let your mom, here, take you home and I'll call you in a couple of days, when you're feeling better."

"Okay."

"Lots of rest, lots of fluids."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"And listen to your moms," Robert adds with a smile before kissing Callie's head.

"Good advice," Stef chimes in with a wink, rejoining the pair. "Ready to go, sweets?"

Callie nods, fatigue suddenly hitting her like a freight train.

"Bye, Dad."

Stef and Callie go to the car, which the blonde unlocks with her remote.

When Callie opens the door, she sees her sweatshirt on the passenger seat.

"I thought you might want it."

Callie puts it on, feeling comfy and warmer as she climbs in the Denali, buckling her seatbelt.

"Use this time to prepare yourself for the borderline-smothering TLC that Mama is going to unleash upon you."

Stef clicks her tongue, taking in Callie's sickly complexion and the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes. "Yep, she is going to have a fit."

Callie chuckles.

"I see, you think I'm kidding. That's funny. I'm as serious as a heart attack, my friend."

Stef pulls out of the parking lot and they leave CVJDF behind, hopefully, for the last time.

No sooner than when they hit the freeway, Stef sees Callie's eyes close, nodding off, until she's woken up to go inside the house.

"Callie. Wake up. We're home."

Callie isn't sure she's ever seen a more welcome sight than the craftsman structure she calls her own.

Stef opens the front door for her as everyone is waiting in the foyer, Mike and AJ included.

A chorus of 'welcome home' greets her ears.

"Thanks, guys. I'd hug you all, but you don't want this, trust me," Callie warns them of her cold, gesturing to herself.

"Not a problem," Jude assures her.

"That's fine," Mariana pipes up.

"Yeah, we're good, thanks," Jesus adds.

"Zeus, how's your head?" Callie asks him.

"Still hard." He knocks his fist on it.

Mariana goes on her tip-toes to look inside her twin's ear. "Still empty, is more like it," which brings on a round of laughs.

"No, AJ, don't," Callie tries to stop him as he walks over to her, but she gives up and lets him hug her.

"I missed you, girl." He pulls back and plants a gentle kiss on her forehead as a few _awwws_ are heard.

"I think I missed her more," Lena says. "Hey, sweetheart."

Callie wants to stay in her warm hug forever, but lets go.

"You haven't slept," her mama observes, before feeling her face. "You've got a fever. PJs and bed, yeah?"

Callie nods.

"Good night, Callie. Feel better," Mike tells her.

"Thanks."

Stef and Lena follow their daughter upstairs to her room. Stef pulls back her covers as Callie retrieves pajamas from her dresser drawer.

"I'm gonna make you some tea while you settle in," Lena decides.

"Extra honey, please."

"You've got it, babe."

Dressed down, Callie emerges from the bathroom and delights in her soft bedding and mattress as Stef tucks her in, even though she's sitting up.

"How's that?"

"Good."

An uninvited fit of coughs makes an appearance, and Callie might as well be swallowing razors. "Ow," she whimpers, letting her head fall back against the wall of pillows behind her.

"My poor girl. _So_ sick," Stef coos, bringing her lips to Callie's temple and rubbing her back.

" _Mo-om_ ," she whines. "I'll be fine."

Stef can't help but smile, her daughter sounding just like their other children when she babied them.

"Yes, you will, if you do what Mama and I say."

Callie coughs again, her sinuses draining down the back of her throat, sniffling into Robert's handkerchief.

"Echinacea tea, extra honey, at your request," Lena announces as she re-enters the room.

Instead of thanking her, Callie sneezes. " _Hept'chew! Chew!_ "

"Bless you," both moms offer her.

Callie blows her nose before dropping the now-sodden cloth on her bedside table. Lena gives her the travel mug; the warmth feels nice on her hands.

She sighs in relief as the hot, sweet drink soothes her burning throat.

"How is it?"

"Heavenly. Thanks, Mama."

"Sure thing."

Lena spies a box of Kleenex on the dresser, setting it within Callie's reach. "Don't worry, we bought more," she chuckles.

Stef and Lena leave Callie to drink her tea in peace. She unlocks her phone, scrolling through worried texts from Mariana as she was placed under arrest late Saturday night.

She sets it down, glad her ordeal with Troy and the hit-and-run is over and that she now has the luxury of being sick as hell at home instead of in juvie.

Callie drains what's left in the mug before it gets cold, warming her on the inside.

Not long after, her moms return to check on her.

"All done?" Lena asks.

Callie nods.

"Alright, time for medicine and some shut-eye," Stef says, going to her bedroom and bringing back a bottle.

The blonde breaks the seal of the newly-purchased NyQuil SEVERE and hands her daughter a dose, which the teen swallows obediently before lying on her stomach.

"Do you need anything else, bug?" Lena asks her.

Callie shakes her head. "No," she replies, yawning.

"Get some rest, okay?" Lena places a hand on her hair and kisses it.

"Sleep well, my love," Stef says, gentle.

"G'night, Mom."

Stef exits, going downstairs.

Lena turns to follow her wife.

"Mama?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think you could maybe...stay for a bit? Just until I fall asleep, I mean."

Normally, Callie wouldn't make such a request, but was feeling awful and wasn't ready to be alone in the dark.

Her mama's smile was warm and sincere.

"Of course I will."

Lena turns the light off and sets the desk chair next to Callie's bed, sitting down.

"You know that if you leave this room and even _attempt_ to go downstairs before I say otherwise, I will ground you for life, right?"

Callie chuckles at her threat, drowsy.

"Are you warm enough?"

"Mhm."

"Alright. Just relax. I'm not going anywhere."

Lena rubs circles on Callie's back until her breaths even out and she falls asleep. Even then, Lena sticks around after, making sure that her ailing child stays that way, snores and all.

 _[][][][][][]_

 _Callie tosses and turns in her bunk, her sleep anything but peaceful._

 _She doesn't hear a girl climb down from her bed, her bare feet mute on the concrete floor._

 _"Shut the hell up! You snore like a damn chainsaw."_

 _Callie is startled awake, now on the floor, her blanket tangled around her legs, gasping for breath as the girl lunges at her._

Callie shoots up in bed, eyes darting around, her fist drawn back, preparing to strike.

"Hey, hey, hey. Callie, it's alright."

A hand holds her fist, slowly guiding it down to her lap.

"You're okay, love. You're home, remember?"

She nods in the darkness, coughing, as Stef flicks on her bedside lamp.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just a—"

"Crazy fever dream?" the blonde assumes.

"Yeah," Callie confirms before using a Kleenex. "Kinda scary, though."

"How so?"

"Last night, a girl shoved me awake because I was snoring, but just now, she pushed me out of bed and was gonna beat me up."

"Aw, baby. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"It's okay. It could've been worse."

Callie checks the time and sees that it's almost 11 PM.

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay."

"Go back to sleep, now. Love you."

Callie rolls over and does just that.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Wednesday**

A better night's sleep proves to be a difference-maker when Callie feels up to some breakfast as everyone else is getting ready for school. She doesn't feel at all well enough to go and knows her moms won't let her. She doesn't want to try to change their minds anyway.

So, Callie dials Lena for a quick chat, not wanting to yell or text her.

"Good morning, bug. How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good, finally. I don't think I could take any further sleep deprivation."

"I'm glad. You're obviously staying home with Jesus and Mom. Did you need something?"

"Am I allowed downstairs for breakfast? I'm kinda hungry. If you don't want me around everyone, I understand, I just—"

"Sure, honey," Lena allows, deciding that the last thing her daughter needs is to be isolated from the rest of the family. "Come down and eat. Mom's almost done flipping the pancakes."

She swears her mama has a sixth sense. That sounds so good that Callie hangs up and goes to the kitchen immediately.

"There she is. G'morning, love," Stef greets her as she places a platter of finished pancakes on the table.

"Morning, Jailbird," Jesus says with a smirk.

"Same to you, McGregor," Callie fires back, alluding to her brother's favorite UFC fighter, in response to his run-in with Nick at the festival a few days ago.

"Eat all you want, sweets," Stef tells her, smoothing her back as Lena sets a hot mug of tea in front of her.

After adding the perfect quantities of butter and syrup, Callie takes a bite, and it's everything.

"Mm. That's nothing like juvie food. I _so_ missed your cooking, Mama."

Lena smiles and blows her a kiss.

"How was juvie, anyway?" Mariana wonders. "Did you get jumped? Did anybody try to recruit you?"

"It wasn't like that, Mariana. I kept a low profile, as well as one can with a cold like this. I think my block figured I wasn't staying, so, they didn't bother with me."

"That's certainly good to hear," Lena remarked, sitting down to eat.

When everyone finishes, Callie waits until the room clears and she's left with her moms in the kitchen.

"Moms? Can I talk to you guys for a second?"

"Sure," Lena says as she and Stef give Callie their full attention.

"I just wanted to say thanks...for letting Robert help...get me out of there," Callie tells them, shuddering out the last bit, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "I know I added more problems and stress to your plates when you were already dealing with Jesus and everyone else. But..."

"What is it, baby?" Stef asks, crouching in front of her.

"It just sucked being there, _really_ sucked. And I was sick and I felt horrible and I...I only wanted you and my bed. I just wanted my moms."

At this tearful admission, Stef immediately moves to hug her girl, and Lena does the same. In this moment, they are reminded that while Callie possesses wisdom beyond her years, for all her rough edges and defenses, she's still just a child who longs for their support and comfort.

Callie feels shame for crying, but she's been sick and tired and scared and stressed for the last three days. A wave of relief washes over her. Her moms love and want her. They don't reject her for revealing her true feelings.

"You have us, sweetie. You always will," her mama assures her softly. "You're home with us. The charges are gone and you're gonna feel much better very soon."

Callie nods. "Mhm."

They hug it out for a bit longer before passing Callie some Kleenex.

"And when you _are_ better, the three of us are going to have a long talk about you concerning Troy and Kyle, but, only then," Stef tells her.

Callie nods again, understanding.

"Go get some more sleep," Lena says, kissing her head, then, her wife's lips and wishing them a good day.

Callie smiles, knowing there's many more to come.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** And there you have it. I really like this one.

Next up is Mariana, by herself, FINALLY. I promise. The right prompt finally jumped out at me for her.

Tell me what you all thought of this. :)


	22. Mariana - bronchitis (future AU)

**A/N:** Here's a Mariana stand-alone, finally, for you guys. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Future AU**

 **Mariana - bronchitis**

(Remember, it's only late 2014 in the show)

 _December 2016_

 **Saturday**

I walk up to the front door with my rolling suitcase and duffel bag, opening it and stepping into the foyer.

"Moms? I'm home."

"Hi, baby," Mom greets me with a smile, coming from the kitchen. "How was the commute?"

Mama is behind her. "Hey, sweetheart. Welcome home."

Both of their faces fall as they study mine.

"Are you alright?" Mama asks me. "You don't look so good."

I shake my head. "I don't feel good."

Anything else I wanted to say was put on hold because I had to cough. They're awful. They make my chest ache.

"Aw, honey," Mama says, "how long have you been like this?"

"Most of the week," I tell them.

"All your finals and the stress, it's no wonder you're sick. Let me see."

Mama's cool hand against my face feels wonderful.

"You have a fever. Have you taken anything?"

I shake my head. Stanford is an eight-hour drive without traffic; I just wanted to get home.

"It's late. Let's get you up to bed." A gentle order. "Mom will get your bags."

I drop them. Mom kisses my head before I start up the stairs.

Mama follows me into my room.

"I'm gonna see what we have in the bathroom."

She leaves as Mom brings my bags in.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

I cough again, the congestion in my chest loosening and triggering more. I groan a little.

"That sounds terrible, Miss Thing."

"It feels just as bad."

"Did you go to the health center?"

"There was no time between studying and finals and—"

Another fit cuts me off.

"And no sleep, I'm sure."

"Mom, _please_ ," I plead, not in the mood for a lecture.

"Alright. How about some water? Or maybe something from the store? Fruit punch?"

I nod.

Mom smiles. "Now, how did I know that's what you wanted?"

"Because that's what I always want," I state as fact, and it's true. Something about a cold glass of that red, sugary drink makes me feel better and has done so since I was small.

"Anything else?"

I shake my head.

"Okay. I will get you some in the morning. Change and hop into bed, young lady."

I nod, going to my dresser and finding some sweatpants and one of my Anchor Beach shirts. I go into the adjoining bathroom to put them on and remove my contacts, swapping them for my square-rimmed glasses. It's one less hassle to deal with until I'm better.

I pull back my blankets and climb in just as Mama returns.

"Oh, good, you're already in bed."

"Where else would I be?"

"I found some Robitussin. Here. That should help." Mama sets the bottle down on my nightstand.

"Thanks."

And out of nowhere, I cough, which leaves me exhausted and miserable.

"We should call Dr. C in the morning. You might need antibiotics."

"Okay," I agree.

After taking some medicine, I decide to lie down, fully giving into this crappy sickness.

"You tired, sweetie?"

"Mhm," I hum, closing my eyes.

"Go to sleep. You're home now. The only thing you need to worry about is getting better."

"'Kay, Mama," I mumble, getting comfortable and falling asleep rather easily.

 _[][][][][][]_

 **Sunday**

By the next afternoon, I'm not feeling any better.

Mama and I are currently sitting in Dr. C's 'sick' room as opposed to the 'well' room, where her healthy patients are waiting, so, no one is exposed to anything.

I'm the oldest patient in here. There's mostly little, snotty kids, their noses dripping and coughing on everything.

Remind me to never have children.

After a short wait, I'm called back to be examined by a couple of the people who have seen me through my share of childhood illnesses. Dr. C has taken care of me and my siblings for well over a decade now. Mama hangs back in the waiting room; I _am_ eighteen, after all.

"Hey, there, college girl. It's good to see you, even under these circumstances," my nurse, Jodie, greets me with a smile as she enters the room.

"Hey, Jodie," I say, returning it. "How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks."

I cough, putting a hand to my chest.

"Ooh, that does not sound good, Miss Mari."

"It feels worse."

"Alright, let's get your vitals and Dr. C will be in shortly."

Jodie takes my temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, recording them on my chart.

"So, you have a fever, cough, and chest congestion. Any other symptoms?"

"My throat hurts, too."

Jodie writes that down and leaves.

Dr. C comes in a few minutes later, lifting my chart from the rack on the door.

"Hi, Mariana. I hear you're not feeling well, huh?"

I shake my head.

"How's Stanford treating you?" she asks me as she goes to the sink to wash her hands.

"It's good. I'm really busy, but I love it."

"That's great. Undergrad is a lot of work, but remember to get your play in, too."

I nod.

"Let's see: a temp of 101.5, six days of fever, fatigue, cough, and chest congestion."

"I had finals. Studying took up most of my week."

"I'm sure you did fine. Well, let's take a look at you."

Dr. C begins examining me.

"Your ticker sounds perfect...your ears and sinuses look okay, too. Let's see about your throat."

She has my open my mouth and stick out my tongue. "Ah..."

"Yeah, it's red. Does it hurt to swallow?"

"A little; it's not that bad. Not like strep."

"Good. Okay, just breathe for me."

Dr. C listens to my lungs with her stethoscope. Having to breathe so deeply makes me cough.

"One more, Mariana. Good. This sounds like bronchitis to me. But I wanna do a quick test to see if we can find out if it's viral or bacterial. I'll just need a few drops of blood for a complete blood count. I'll go get Jodie and it'll be done in a jiffy."

Jodie returns and gloves up, using a needle to prick my finger and squeeze some blood for the sample. "This will take about ten minutes, so, just hang out."

Dr. C informs me of the results, showing them to me. "So, your white blood cell count is elevated, which usually means an infection, the obvious. She points to something marked LYM. "Your lymphocytes, which are viral markers in your blood, are low and your granulocytes, this," she points to GRAN, "the bacterial markers, are high. So, antibiotics will help, and you'll get better much faster than if you had to let this run its course."

I nod, understanding.

"At least you won't be sick for most of your winter break," she smiles. "Rest and stay hydrated. Binge on some Netflix and comfort foods. You should be feeling miles better in the next couple of days."

"Thanks, Dr. C."

"Just doing my job. Here is your prescription," she says, writing it out and handing it to me. "We're all done, unless you have any questions."

"I'm good."

"Alright. Take care and have a nice holiday."

"The same to you."

I go meet Mama in the waiting room to give her the verdict. "Bronchitis."

She kisses my head, sympathetic.

"She did a quick blood test and it's bacterial, so, I got antibiotics," I tell her as we go back to the car.

"There's a bit of holiday fortune, hm? Time to hit the pharmacy."

After we do that and I stock up on some goodies, once we get home, I take Dr. C's advice and pull up _Stranger Things_ on my laptop, binging away.

I'm on the second episode of the newest season when there's a soft knock on my door.

"Zeus," I grin, hitting pause.

"Hey, sicky."

I pretend to be hurt.

He laughs. "Moms told me."

He comes over to my bed and we hug. I've missed my twin. With me at Stanford and him still here in San Diego, we resort to texts and FaceTime to stay in touch. He's been busy going to a local trade school to learn the ins and outs of construction, sort of taking after our bio dad, Gabe. It's really kind of sweet.

"When did you get in?"

"Last night."

"So, what's wrong with you? Besides the obvious, I mean."

I hit him and he laughs again.

"Bronchitis," I sigh, "but I got antibiotics, so, I'll be all good soon." I turn away from Jesus to cough. "I hope."

"That's nasty," he says, looking a bit grossed out.

"Tell me about it."

"Want me to get you something?"

"I kind of want pizza..."

"That sounds good. Pepperoni?"

"Yeah. I'll get my wallet."

Jesus shakes his head. "Nah. It's on me. I'll order it and pick it up."

"Order what?" Mom wonders, poking her head in.

"I feel like pizza," I shrug.

She walks up to us. "How's my girl?"

"I'm okay—"

A nice (not) coughing fit decides to cut in.

Jesus passes me some fruit punch to drink while Mom feels my head.

"Have you taken any Tylenol?" she asks me.

"A few hours ago, yeah. It's not that bad. Fever's a good thing, remember?"

"Well, I'm a mom. I'll be glad when you're fever-free. You need anything?"

"Just pizza."

Jesus gets on his phone to order it and within thirty minutes, we're both lounging on my bed watching _Despicable Me_ and wolfing down the saucy, cheesy, doughy goodness.

"Hey, is there a party going on in here, or something?" Jude wonders, walking in.

"Judicorn, hi. I haven't seen you all day."

"I was at Noah's. When—"

"Last night, she's got bronchitis, and we're watching a movie, so, either join us or get out," Jesus tells him, a bit harshly.

"Zeus, be nice. We've seen this a million times."

Jude comes over to hug me and grabs a slice of pizza, sitting down on my bed.

"There's not enough room in here. Let's go to Moms' bed," I suggest, as the three of us are trying to watch on my laptop screen. They have a smart TV in there, too, so, we can pick back up right where we are.

So, we move things to their bedroom and settle in, resuming the movie.

"Now, what's going on in _here_?" Mama wonders, observing us all in her room.

"Pizza and a movie," I say. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not, honey. It's nice to see my babies together, getting along."

I see a gleam in Mama's eyes; with Christmas and New Year's approaching, the nest is filling up again as her chicks return from their corners of the world (rather, their respective places of study) to celebrate together. Brandon is even flying in from Boston during his break, not having done so for Thanksgiving. Moms haven't seen him in the flesh since August, before Mike drove him cross-country to school. Thank goodness for FaceTime and Skype. But he does love the conservatory there, the weather, not so much. He's a SoCal boy, after all.

"The food helps," Jesus chimes in.

Jude rolls his eyes. "Of course it does."

Jesus nudges him playfully.

"Is there room for one more?" A voice says from the hallway, and the last in-state Adams Foster sibling makes her entrance.

" _Callie!_ " I squeal, having Jude move and pause the movie so I can get up.

"I missed you," she tells me as we hug.

"I missed you, too." But I have to break up this reunion, needing to cough.

"Whoa. Are you okay?"

"Yeah—fine," I assure her as one fit bleeds into another. When it's over, I'm feeling crappy again, and sort of woozy. "Sorry." Jesus tosses me the box of Kleenex so I can spit into one. _Gross_.

"No, it's okay. Are you alright?" my sister asks again, concerned.

I nod. "But I think I'm gonna take a nap." I need to lie down. "Party on, y'all," I say to my brothers who continue pigging out and binging without me.

Callie follows me back into our room as I crawl under my covers.

"So, how's State? Your finals go okay?" I wonder.

Callie's in her junior year at Mom's Alma Mater, San Diego State. They're seriously clones. Callie's majoring in social work, hoping to be the caseworker she never had while she grew up in foster care. I know she'll do the very best job she can.

"Yeah, they went alright, but we can catch up later."

I nod, smiling a little. "Thanks."

"No problem, Wheezy."

I laugh before rolling over and closing my eyes.

It feels so good to be home, where all of us can be together. This is sure to be the best holidays yet.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay, there's another box checked. I've had bronchitis once. I was 7 and missed a week of school.

My headcanon has always been that Brandon doesn't make it into Julliard, but instead goes to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, one of the top US music schools.

I hope you all liked this one.


	23. Callie - flu - Ch 1

**A/N:** Well, hey, everyone! Surprised to see me? I don't blame you, ha. Seriously, my muse has crashed and burned HARD (seriously, _so_ incredibly hard) these last ~7 months. Barely a drop of motivation or inspiration. BUT, I've never stopped thinking about writing and I'm hoping that posting something that's been sitting around will help. Thanks for your continued feedback and love.

* * *

 **Callie - flu**

 **Chapter 1**

"Ahhh! No way!" Stef and Lena heard their daughter exclaim from upstairs; her frantic footsteps brought her down to the kitchen in record time.

"Moms! Moms! Oh, my God, this is the best news ever!"

Lena chuckled; Callie was bouncing on the balls of her feet and grinning from ear to ear. "What is it, bug?"

"Yeah, out with it," Stef said.

"Okay, so, you know James Elliot?"

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell," Stef replied, sarcastic. She was kidding, of course; he was her favorite photographer. Everyone in the house knew that.

Callie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he's releasing a new book and he's coming here, to San Diego, on his book tour to do a signing!"

"That's great, Cal. Where will he be?" Stef wondered, loving that she was sharing her excitement with them.

"At Books-A-Million."

"That's right near here."

"I know," Callie beamed. "I can't wait."

 _[][][][][][]_

 _Two months later_

 **Saturday**

"Mama, I feel better, honest," Callie sighed, mumbling around the thermometer that was under her tongue, attempting to convince her mother that this was unnecessary.

Lena shook her head. "Don't talk."

The thermometer beeped and she retrieved it, reading the result. "101.4. I'm sorry, honey. This means no book signing today."

"I'm fine. I need to go," she protested.

"A fever means you're going nowhere."

"But, I _can't_ miss it! He's my favorite! I've been looking forward to this for weeks!"

"Callie, you're not going."

"But, Mama—" Coughs cut her off and she couldn't rein in the chills that made her shiver.

And with that, Lena's point was proven. "And that is precisely why. You're still sick."

"This sucks," Callie stated with a childish pout, arms crossed.

"I'm really sorry, bug. Next time, I promise."

The teen rolled her eyes, looking away. "Whatever."

"Lie down and rest, okay?"

Callie flopped backwards onto her mattress once she heard Lena go downstairs, coughing again. She groaned.

"Stupid flu..."

She started feeling off on Wednesday, but that was only the beginning. By Thursday, she was in the thick of the illness, praying to every god she could think of that she'd be better in two days and with a vice principal for a mom, that meant no fever.

Frustrated, Callie got back in bed, dozing off soon after.

When Callie woke up, she quickly checked the time. It was almost eleven; the signing started at noon.

Callie got out of bed and went to her window. Lena was outside working in the garden.

Knowing this was most likely her only opportunity, she quickly threw on some clothes, making sure to grab her bag with her wallet, and locked the main door from the inside, hoping her mama would take the hint to leave her alone.

As quietly as possible, Callie took the stairs and checked around the corner to make sure that Lena wasn't in the kitchen.

When the coast was clear, she tiptoed there to the island. She ducked down quickly when she saw Lena stand up, which made her woozy.

She heard footsteps and held her breath.

Any second now...

But the yelling never came.

Callie heard water running.

"Oh, shoot."

Callie peeked around and saw that Lena had spilled and was cleaning it up, with her back turned.

The girl crept along the floor and got through the open back door. Next, she made a break for the garage, needing her bike if she was going to be on time for the signing.

She got her bike out as quickly as possible and pedaled for her life down the driveway and onto the sidewalk, speeding away.

"Wow," Callie breathed out loud, surprised at the rush she felt, which helped her maintain her pace.

After fifteen minutes, she locked up her bike on the other side of the strip mall, just in case. She was breathing hard and sweating, wishing she had brought something to drink.

Callie entered the Books-A-Million and observed the line that was forming around the store for the signing, in addition to the displays that were promoting it. It wasn't yet 11:30; she still had time to buy a copy of the book and request a wristband, so, she decided to browse the shelves near James Elliot's table.

Meanwhile, at home, Lena went upstairs to check on Callie. She turned the handle of her daughter's bedroom door, finding it locked.

' _She must be pretty upset_ ,' thought Lena, understanding. She hated denying her a chance to meet someone who meant a lot to her. Introduced to him in Anchor Beach's photo club, Mr. Elliot's street photography had brought out Callie's creativity and expressiveness, aiding her in letting down defenses that she was so quick to raise.

Callie deserved to get something out of the book signing, Lena decided. And if her daughter couldn't be there to get a signed copy, she'd get one for her.

Lena grabbed her wallet and keys and got in her Prius, a smile on her face.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sure you can see where this is going, but do stick around for more, won't you? ;)


	24. Callie - flu - Ch 2

**A/N:** Here's Chapter 2, all. Hope you like. Happy Friday the 13th!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Lena entered the bookstore and immediately noticed the large cut outs of James Elliot and his new book. She walked up to an employee. "Excuse me, how do I go about getting a copy of _Monochrome_ signed?"

Callie gasped from behind a shelf. She hadn't gotten in line yet.

' _Oh, you have to be kidding me..._ '

"Pay for it at the register and then, you'll receive a wrist band. Only one book signed per person. No pictures."

"Okay, thank you."

Callie's hands went clammy and she broke out in a cold sweat, suddenly feeling nauseated; she tried not to panic, hoping that her mama would pick a book and go to the register as soon as possible.

' _Okay, okay. It's fine. I'll make sure Mama gets in line and I'll sneak out and beat her back home. She'll never know I was here._ '

What Callie didn't realize was that Lena was just a mere few feet away, examining _Monochrome_ 's cover.

She sniffled, needing to sneeze. Stubbornly rubbing her nose, she wished it would die down, but it only came on stronger.

' _Crap!_ '

"Hih... _h'CHEW_!"

Callie sniffled and coughed, trying to keep them quiet.

Lena's head snapped up at that. She knew _exactly_ who that came from, having listened to it for the past three days. Her eyes scanned the store for any sign of her daughter who _should_ have been _nowhere_ near there.

Suspicious, she walked to the nearest aisle of shelves and was unsurprised to find Callie, who startled when their eyes met.

Callie looked frazzled, her skin an ashy hue, sweat beaded up on her forehead, a suppressed chill running through her.

Lena's lips were in such a tight line, they almost disappeared from her face. Callie had never seen her look so angry: her jaw set, eyes narrowed, somehow darker in color.

"Mama. W-What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same. I felt so bad about you missing the signing that I wanted to surprise you. Well, you can forget that, because if you're not out that door in three seconds, Callie Quinn..." the woman warned, pointing to the exit.

Callie could see that a few customers were staring at them. "You're embarrassing me," she grumbled, shoving past Lena.

Lena chuckled without humor. "You haven't _seen_ embarrassed yet, kid."

She returned the book to a display and followed her daughter to the car. "I know you didn't walk here. Where's your bike?"

"The other side of the strip mall," Callie replied.

They drove over to the bike rack and Callie unlocked hers. Lena put it in the back and drove home.

She looked over at her daughter who was staring out the window, pressing her body against the door, creating as much space between them as possible.

Lena broke the silence.

"I am very, _very_ disappointed in you, Callie. Disobeying me and sneaking out when I _told you_ that you were too sick to go anywhere is utterly inexcusable. It was not a suggestion. Do you have anything to say?"

Callie would rather be yelled at than hear her say that. "You're gonna tell Mom, aren't you?" the girl sighed, already knowing the answer to her question.

" _Oh, yeah_. We'll have a nice chat about your little adventure when she gets home."

Callie groaned inwardly. ' _I'm dead_.'

Lena pulled up to the house and followed her inside. "Go to your room, please."

Angry, Callie stomped upstairs and pulled at her bedroom door, then, remembered it was locked. "Argh!" she growled in frustration, entering the adjoining bathroom and unlocking her door. She changed clothes and dove onto her bed, hugging her pillow and crying.

She was mad; mad at her mama for making her stay home and mad at herself for getting caught.

She felt so stupid.

Callie ended up crying herself to sleep.

 _[][][][][][]_

"Hey, hon," Lena said as Stef entered the kitchen, her shift now over.

"Hey, love. How's Callie?"

"That's who I need to talk to you about."

"Is she okay? She's not worse, is she?"

"No, it's not that. You know James Elliot's book signing that's today?"

She nodded. "Right."

"Well, Callie still has a fever, so, I didn't let her go. However, she took it upon herself to sneak out and go anyway."

"She did _what_?" Stef was surprised and upset. Their daughter had never done anything so deliberate.

Callie woke up to Stef's angry voice coming from the kitchen. Cold, she got under her blankets and waited for the inevitable.

"I felt bad that she had to miss it, so, I was going to surprise her with a signed copy. Instead, I caught her near the line. She had ridden her bike there."

Stef exhaled. "What do you think: grounded, no TV, phone, or laptop?"

"Sure."

"Is she in her room?"

Lena nodded.

Callie heard two sets of footsteps, then, a knock.

"Callie? Are you awake?"

Lena pushed the door open.

"You can't yell at me, I'm sick."

"You didn't feel that way a few hours ago," Stef rebutted, marching up to her bed. "What the hell were you thinking, Callie? What on God's green earth possessed you to defy your mother?"

She was quiet.

"I want an answer, young lady," the blonde demanded evenly.

"I just wanted to meet him so badly. I thought it was my only chance. I didn't see the big deal; I felt better."

"How about now?"

Callie shivered, her skin remained a sickly shade of gray. She coughed. "Not so good."

"And this is exactly why Mama said you weren't going, isn't it?"

She nodded, ashamed of her behavior.

"You're not the parent. You don't get to choose which orders to follow or ignore. When it comes to your health, we know what's best for you. Mama would not have forbid you from leaving the house for no reason. When you're sick, you stay home, and that's final. When Mama or I tell you something, you follow it. Understood?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Moms."

"Don't apologize to _me_ , sweets," Stef said, gesturing to her wife.

"Sorry, Mama. For sneaking out and not listening to you. I was wrong."

"Apology accepted."

"Sometimes, when you're sick, you have to miss out on things you wanna do. That's life, kiddo. We've all been there," Stef explained calmly.

"I remember Mariana couldn't go trick-or-treating one year; you would've thought it was the end of the world. And Brandon missed out when the circus came to town; Mom had free tickets through work. He was not a happy camper, not at all," Lena recalled fondly, chuckling.

Stef continued on with her dose of tough love. "Now, just because you're sick doesn't mean we can't hand out your punishment. Once you're better, you're grounded for a month. No TV for a week. We'll be taking your phone and your laptop is to be used as-needed for homework _only_."

Callie wasn't happy, but she knew she was in no position to argue. She'd messed up, big time.

She was unable to keep her emotions in check as well as she could when healthy and couldn't stop herself from crying again.

"I'm really sorry," she sobbed, hot tears rolling down her face. "I'm so stupid. Mama tried to do something nice for me, and I ruined it."

Stef bent down to smooth her hair. "Cal, sweetheart, you're not stupid. Far from it. You're a teenager, a teenager who's going to make some not-so-good choices. I think we can agree that what happened today falls in that category, yes?"

Callie nodded, sniffling.

Lena handed her some Kleenex and felt her forehead and cheeks, once again concerned about her fever. She hoped her daughter's recovery wasn't set too far back.

"I'm hot _and_ cold. Thirsty."

Lena brought her some ice water, which she drank slowly as she concentrated on staying upright.

Callie swallowed the dose of NyQuil that Stef handed her and lay back down, her body craving rest.

Stef kissed her head. "Get some sleep. We'll be around if you need us."

Lena did the same. "I love you, bug."

"Love you, too, Mama."

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** My muse is coming back, so, I hope to post more of these and work on _Baby Makes Three_. Have a good weekend, everyone. :)


	25. Mariana - stomach flu

**A/N:** Happy Halloween, everyone! If you were paying attention to that last installment, I threw in that line from Lena about Mariana missing trick-or-treating, and look what we have here. Haha. Enjoy, guys.

* * *

 **Mariana (7) - stomach flu**

 _2005_

 **Saturday**

The doorbell rang and Stef answered it.

"Trick-or-treat!" grinned Lexi's dad as he lifted his Frankenstein mask, with his daughter at his side.

Stef laughed. "Hey, Ernie, Lexi. Happy Halloween. Come on in."

They entered the house, first spying Mariana on the couch in her pajamas, watching TV.

"Hi," Lexi said, walking up to her best friend.

"Hi," she greeted her, glum. "I like your costume." She and Lexi were supposed to be matching fairy princesses. Lexi was decked out in purple tights and a glittery pink shirt, with corresponding wings, tiara, and wand.

"Thanks," Lexi said, a bit shy. "Sorry you have to miss Halloween."

"Me, too."

"Lexi, honey, why don't you go to the kitchen? Lena made mummy dogs, spider web fries, and punch. It'll be time to go soon," Stef suggested kindly to the second grader.

"Okay."

Sad, Mariana watched the fairy-clad girl skip out of the room to join her mama and brothers.

Ernesto and Stef looked at each other, hating to see Mariana so bummed out.

"I hear you've been sick, Mariana. How are you feeling?" Ernesto asked her.

The girl just shrugged, looking down.

Although Mariana had only vomited once the day before, she continued to have cramps and diarrhea. Still weak and feverish, that meant no celebrating the ghoulish holiday for her.

"Well, I hope you feel better soon."

"Mariana, what do you say?" Stef prodded when her daughter didn't respond, reminding her of her manners.

"Thank you, Mr. Rivera."

Ernesto looked to Stef, understanding. "I better get going, before I miss all the partying." He and Sonya threw a big bash at their house every year.

"Right. Sorry we can't make it." Stef and the kids would usually meet Lena over there after trick-or-treating, but Mariana's illness threw a wrench in those plans.

"It's alright. Next year, huh? Thanks again, Stef. Bye, Mariana."

"Bye," the girl droned as Stef shut the door.

"Would you like more water?"

Mariana nodded.

Stef brought her a full glass; the girl drank a few sips.

"Anything else?"

She shook her head.

"Okay. Mama and I will be in the kitchen."

"How is she?" Lena asked her wife when the blonde reentered the room.

"She's pretty bummed."

"I know, poor girl," the black-haired woman sighed, observing the three kids eating their dinner. "Don't get your costumes dirty, guys."

"We won't," Brandon promised, face full of vampire make-up.

"Does Mariana still have the squirts?" Jesus wondered out loud, dipping his fries in ketchup.

"Ewww!" Lexi and Brandon said together, faces scrunched up.

" _Jesus_!" Stef and Lena admonished him.

"Do not embarrass your sister like that," Lena added sternly.

"What? That's why she can't go trick-or-treating with us, right? 'Cause she has a bellyache?"

" _Yes_ ," Stef sighed heavily, knowing Jesus only asked because he cared. Their younger boy was sweet, and like most kids his age, had absolutely no filter.

"Well, that sucks," he stated bluntly, his misstep all but forgotten.

Stef looked at the clock; trick-or-treating started at 6:30. "It's almost time to go. Finish up, okay?"

The trio cleaned their plates and met Stef at the front door with their pillow cases.

Jesus was making action noises and swinging his nun chucks as Lena tied his orange bandana around his head, making sure the eye holes lined up. "Now, you're officially Michelangelo."

"Yeah!" the ninja turtle exclaimed happily.

"You can still go to the party, you know," Lena told her wife.

"We might stay for a minute when we drop Lexi off. It's just not as fun without you and our girl."

"I know," Lena smiled sadly.

Stef made sure to say goodbye to Mariana. "Mommy wishes you could come with us, sweet pea. We'll miss you."

"It's okay," she sighed, but her deflated body language gave her true feelings away in an instant.

Stef glanced to Lena for a moment. "You just rest and listen to Mama, okay?" She kissed her head.

"Feel better, Mari," Lexi said, and her brothers followed suit with well-wishes of their own.

"Bye. Have fun," Lena said before kissing Stef.

"We will."

"Be safe and do everything Mom says, you hear me?"

"Yes," chorused three voices.

"That means if I want your candy, I get it," Stef grinned as she put on her witch hat and the black jacket that matched her purple striped shirt.

Jesus giggled. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Stef rebutted, laughing, as she ushered them on to the porch and down the walk.

With a wave, Lena shut the door behind them as they went to their first stop of the evening, their neighbors, the Bledsoes.

She turned to face her only charge, stepping in front of her. "You need anything, babe?"

Mariana shook her head, her brave face dissolving. "It's not fair!" she shouted, starting to cry.

"It's not, I know," Lena agreed, now holding her. Her daughter had to stay home from school the day before, which meant missing out on her class party and the annual parade the elementary students participated in, costumes and all.

"I wanna go..."

"You can't, sweetie. You've still got a bellyache and a fever, to boot."

Lena let Mariana cry it out, though worried that she'd feel worse if she got too worked up.

Mariana suddenly stiffened and bolted out of her mama's arms and into the bathroom, sick again.

Lena sighed. Any other Halloween, she would be putting the finishing touches on Stef's famous chili and other dishes she would be bringing to the Riveras' costume party. This year, she was playing nurse to an ailing kiddo, no dress-up required. _Parenthood_.

After a few minutes, she heard her daughter flush the toilet and get on the step stool to wash her hands.

The little girl shuffled back to the living room, looking sicklier as she got back on the couch.

Lena was right; Mariana was sweaty and more lethargic as she leaned against her. "Do you feel dizzy?"

"A little...I don't feel good, Mama," the seven year-old moaned.

She and Stef had let her get too tired; they shouldn't have let her stay up so long without a nap, but Mariana wanted to be awake when Lexi came over. "Here. Have a quick drink and lie down."

Mariana obeyed as Lena covered her with a blanket, leaving a lamp on, so, it wasn't completely dark. They'd left a sign out front saying that they weren't passing out candy, so, she didn't expect anyone to come knocking.

"Do you think you can fall asleep?" Lena asked her, smoothing her damp hair.

"Uh-huh..."

"Okay. I will be in the kitchen."

Lena cleaned up the dinner dishes and put leftovers away in the refrigerator before scrubbing down the counters. With the place spotless for now, she was relieved to find her daughter resting comfortably before she went upstairs to start a load of laundry.

Not long after she poured herself a glass of wine, the house phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, how's Mari doing?" It was Stef, checking in.

"Not so good. She got sick again."

"Still? Man, poor baby. She's gotta be feeling awful."

"She's been asleep for about a half hour, thank goodness."

"Small miracles."

"Are you guys having fun?" Lena wondered, changing the subject.

"We sure are! Having a blast. Say hi to Mama, guys." Stef held out her cell phone to them.

"Hi, Mama! I've got more candy than Jesus does!"

"Nuh-uh, Brandon! Hey, Mama!"

"Hey, Lena!"

"Make sure they're good and tired, okay? We are getting some sleep tonight _I hope_ ," Lena added in her mind, knowing that if Mariana didn't sleep, one of them would be up with her.

"Can do, my love," Stef promised. "I'm gonna go."

Lena could hear the kids run to the next house that was passing out candy. "Alright, love you."

"Love you."

Lena hung up and sipped her wine, trying to make the best of her night and enjoy the quiet, at the very least. She checked on Mariana before taking her glass to the nook and reading the new novel she bought the week before.

Twenty-five pages in and a little voice cried out from the living room.

"Mama..."

Lena went to Mariana, who was woken up by more abdominal pain and cramping.

"I'm here, baby," Lena soothed.

"Hurts," Mariana choked out as she lay in her mama's lap. "Ow, _ow_ ," she sobbed.

"I know, shhh. Shhh. It's gonna stop soon." Lena was focused on keeping her calm, stroking her warm skin.

The wave did end, with Lena holding her daughter quietly.

"Mariana, do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No."

"I'm gonna get some medicine to bring your fever down."

"Don't want medicine," the girl protested weakly.

"I know, but it'll make you feel better, I promise."

"No..."

Lena had Mariana sit up while she went to get the Children's Tylenol from upstairs, pouring her some.

"Just this little, tiny cup. That's all."

"Okay," Mariana sighed, taking the cup and tipping the liquid into her mouth.

"Good girl," Lena smiled and collected it. "Have a drink of water," she instructed her child, returning from the kitchen with a red Gatorade popsicle from a batch she'd made earlier. They found it was one of the best methods to get fluids into their kids. "Here you go."

Mariana licked it and took a bite. "It's cold," she shivered.

"But it's good, right?"

She nodded, a slight smile on her face.

"Good." Lena saw that it was past eight; trick-or-treating ended at 8:30. "Mommy and the boys should be home soon."

"Mama, will you put the blanket around my shoulders?"

"Sure." Lena did so and asked, "Wanna watch TV?"

"Okay."

Lena turned it on and found _Garfield's Halloween Adventure_ playing.

"Garfield's cool, right?"

"Yeah."

The two of them watched the screen as Garfield and Odie, dressed as pirates, walked down the sidewalk together, trick-or-treating around their neighborhood.

Lena noticed how Mariana frowned a bit, kissing her head in response, who reacted by snuggling into her, still working on her popsicle.

"I wouldn't be scared of those costumes, Mama," Mariana stated, sure of herself, as Odie became afraid of them.

"You wouldn't? I would. That ghost gives me the heebie-jeebies!"

Mariana laughed as Lena shook with fear. "I'll protect you; the ghost can't get us in here." She moved her blanket to share it.

"Thank you, sweetie. How 'bout you keep yours and I'll get another. That'll be even better protection."

"Good idea," Mariana agreed as Lena sat back down and draped the second throw over their legs.

"All cozy?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's a spooky house, isn't it, Mari?" Lena said of the one Garfield and Odie entered.

"Yeah."

"I wonder if Lexi or your brothers visited any haunted houses tonight?"

"I dunno."

"Lexi would do it. She's tough."

"And Brandon. He's not scared of nothing."

" _Anything_ ," Lena corrected her, smiling at how she looked up to her older brother.

After Garfield and Odie managed to escape the ghosts and salvage their candy, Lena flipped through the channels to find something else to watch, settling on _A Pinky and the Brain Halloween_.

At ten minutes to nine, Stef, Brandon, and Jesus returned home from trick-or-treating.

"There's my gang." Lena stood to greet them, but her sons made a break for the kitchen table after slipping off their shoes, no doubt to compare their piles of sugary treats.

"Uh-uh. Boys, Mama and I will be checking your loot before you have _any_ candy, understood?" Stef reminded them, brows raised.

"Yes," they groaned impatiently.

Before that was done, however, Stef stepped down into the living room. "And how is my love feeling? Hm, not much fever," she decided with a kiss to her daughter's forehead.

"I gave her Tylenol and she had a popsicle. She slept for over an hour," Lena informed the blonde.

"Good." Stef was relieved to hear that Mariana got some rest and that Lena got to relax. "Well, guess what, Miss Thing, I have a surprise. Close your eyes."

Stef opened the front door and came back through the threshold with a pillowcase, bringing it to the couch. She set it on the coffee table.

"Okay, open. Happy Halloween."

Mariana saw an assortment of candy, every kind she could think of. Her eyes shined in amazement. "You trick-or-treated for _me_?"

"That's all for you. Did I do a good job?"

"The best! This is awesome! Thank you, Mommy."

Stef bent down to hug Mariana and kiss her cheek. "You're very welcome."

The moms could see that their girl was fading again, and that she needed to be in bed.

"You need to get some more sleep, Mari. Time for bed?"

She nodded, reaching so that Stef would pick her up.

"Okay, let's go."

"Love you, Mama. 'Night."

Lena kissed Mariana's head. "Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well. Stef, give her some Pepto." They hoped to avoid any middle-of-the-night accidents.

"Sure thing."

Stef carried Mariana upstairs to her room, setting her down on her bed and returning with pink medicine and water.

"Do you need to use the bathroom before I tuck you in?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Down the hatch," Stef ordered, holding out more medicine for her.

"Ew, yuck," Mariana said after drinking it, despising the taste.

"Good job. To be honest, I don't like it either. Here's your water."

After Mariana had enough, she lay down, and Stef pulled up her covers.

"All snug?"

She nodded.

"Good night, baby girl. Yell and Mama or I will be right up."

"G'night, Mommy." The girl yawned. "Love you."

"And I love you."

Stef closed Mariana's door and went back downstairs to find that Lena had already started checking Brandon's sack of candy for anything abnormal.

"Hey. Did Miss Thing go down okay?"

"Easy-peasy," Stef answered with a smile, moving to the other side of the table to examine Jesus' haul.

"Let's see...one for Zeus, one for Mom, _one for Zeus, one for Mom_..." she grinned, making two piles, teasing him.

"She can't do that, can she, Mama?"

"There's a candy tax. It's new," Lena said, playing along with her wife until they both started laughing.

Satisfied that nothing other than teeth-rotting sweets were present in their sons' bags, Stef and Lena let Brandon and Jesus have three pieces of candy before putting it away and sending them to their rooms to wind down before bedtime.

Afterward, the two women could be found cuddling in the nook, relishing in each other's company, their first quiet moment together since that morning.

"That was very sweet, what you did for Mariana."

"It was nothing, really."

"You're her hero."

"Me? Look at you. You're Supermama: Pancake Flipper Extraordinaire, Slayer of Closet Monsters, Finder of Lost Socks."

Lena laughed. "I may be all that, but you saved the day, for sure."

Stef pretended to ponder that. "I did, didn't I? A win for motherhood."

"I do have a question, however."

"Oh, yeah?" Stef cocked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" Lena asked, doing her best Glinda impression, seeing Stef's hazel eyes darken at the allusion of her costume.

"Oh, I'll get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too," the wicked witch cackled.

They kissed.

"Stef?"

"What?"

"We don't have a dog."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I know that. Just go with it, huh?"

"Can do," Lena smirked, kissing Stef again, with a lifetime of crazy holidays to look forward to with her lovable motley crew.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** This one was sort of autobiographical; like Mariana, I missed trick-or-treating one year when I was six or seven, but all I had was a bad stomachache. It sucked seeing my siblings with their costumes and everything, all excited for the evening. In another parallel, my dad surprised me with a pillowcase of candy when they got home, one of my favorite childhood memories. :) Like Stef, he is a softie when it comes to his kids, especially his daughters.

Thanks for reading.


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